


Remains of yesterday

by Paralelsky



Series: From dusk till dawn [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Angst, Gen, Medical Experimentation, Medical Inaccuracies, What the hell am I doing?, old work given spit and shine, other characters will appear as I update, turned into a girl!Ed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-09-01 23:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 28,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16774858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paralelsky/pseuds/Paralelsky
Summary: Edward Elric has been missing for three months. They have no clue. Then Colonel Roy Mustang receives an unexpected call from somebody they knew was dead. AU





	1. Ed can never catch a break

**Author's Note:**

> So, after more than two years since I've posted anything substantial, I've decided to edit the first fanfic I've ever written. I hope the practice will help me get back to it. 
> 
> Now, fair warning: this was written in 2008, before the Brotherhood anime, so I might not take it into account as I slowly edit each chapter. And while the first version of the story is complete, it was also supposed to be part of a trilogy which...well, never got written. I intend to change that. Also, the version posted on fanfiction.net is the unedited one, if you want to go and read it. I hope this version will be better. :)
> 
> Unbeta'ed and only checked for spellchecking errors.

_Next time we meet again, Edward Elric, you will lose everything._

As the alchemical energy heated the air around him, a dam of memories suddenly burst, bringing him back to the worst moment of his life - the failed transmutation which has changed his life forever. He hadn’t remembered those particular words, lost in a haze of pain, panic, and desperation, but suddenly they were crystal clear in his mind.

Ed tried to move, every instinct screaming at him to run away, but his body refused to listen. Only his head tilted slowly to the side. And what lay beneath his cheek froze the blood in his veins. In layers upon layers, circles, and symbols, stood the most complicated array he’d ever seen. And it was shining, as the alchemic light powered through at an agonizingly slow speed. All he could do was watch, but as his hazy mind began to translate the symbols. He knew what they were; he’d used them once and researched them often in his quest for the Philosopher’s Stone: human transmutation combined with chimera research.

_Get up you bastard, don’t you dare give up!_ Desperation gave him new strength, but by the time he could shift his right hand the array was almost alight, and Ed knew he could never make it in time.

He screamed in his mind, but his body was intent on disobeying him.

_No, he will not admit defeat_ , he tried again, despite the unseen force that seemed to pine him on the middle of the array. With a cry of triumph, Ed tore away one hand, then pushed himself up from the ground, but his legs were still useless, as he frantically looked around for something, anything that could help him get away. On his right, he could see piles of elements – _Equivalent exchange –_ his mind quickly provided him with information, but even as Ed stretched his hand, they were too far to be of any use. Turning swiftly to his left, he was momentarily surprised to see tan fur. And burnished yellow eyes. Filled with a new sense of urgency he redoubled his efforts to free himself as the array was slowly coming to completion.

He knew he was out of time, but he wouldn’t go without a fight. 

His eyes fell on the cluster of symbols in the center. They were the last to light up, but something about them felt wrong. He quickly translated them on his head, his eyes widening as the meaning became clear.

_They need me alive, but I won’t let them control me!_

As the thought crossed his mind, he quickly lunged and managed to distort two symbols, before the array shone with the brilliance of the midday sun. As the alchemic energy began to break his body and mind into pieces, Ed had one last thought:

_The bastards are in for a big surprise when I wake up…_

Behind a glass window in a room with white walls, three people watched with various degrees of excitement the light show the alchemic reaction was giving. Two of them wore white lab coats, carefully noting everything in their notebooks, but the third, in military garb, watched everything with an impassive look on his face.

“Is he going to be as good as the others?”

“Of course, our work is perfect. It took us a lot of experimentation, but the array is flawless. He’ll be ready for training in a week,” said one of the scientists, while the other looked at the military man with ill-disguised disdain.

“Good, I’ll tell the general that the plans are going as scheduled.” The military man said as he left the room.

“Damn the military; they think they are better than us! If it weren’t for our work, they'd have nothing!” one of them hissed, looking furtively at the door and almost snapping the pen he was holding. The other one, a rather short plump man, let out a quiet sigh before speaking.

“I know, Paul, but getting worked up every time the colonel's visiting, isn’t helping. Besides without their backing and money, we wouldn’t be here. There are some perks for working for them.”

“Hm,” Paul snorted, then swept away a fringe of dirty blond hair poking at his glasses, “but I would like to have him in that room. He would make a nice pig chimera.”

“A fitting end,” the other scientist chuckled even as he jotted down some observations. “But let’s see our newest toy, he’s supposed to be quite the prodigy. Maybe he will still have it. After all, we can never completely predict how the Gate will respond,” he frowned as he remembered some of his less stellar experiments. Moving steadily, he then left the room and prepared to enter the experimental area, where the smoke and fog from the reaction was slowly dissipating.

_He had nothing to worry; they hadn’t had any failures lately,_ he told himself.

Little did he know that involving the Fullmetal Alchemist, always led to unexpected results. One of them became apparent after he entered the room and looked at the unconscious figure sprawled in the middle of the array, the changes visible.

“Dammit! Paul come quickly! I think we have a problem.”

“How did this happen? This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Paul mumbled as he approached the newly created chimera while reaching for the front pocket where he kept his notebook. “I don’t understand, nothing was different,” he said as he frantically flipped the pages trying to find the answers. His companion scrunched low, poking at the unconscious body of their newest experiment.

Suddenly he grinned, “You know what this means, don’t you?” he said, glasses glinting in dimmed light. “More tests before we let the military take him.”

After all, there was nothing that a scientist loved best than a good puzzle.


	2. Congratulations, it's a girl!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is my guilty pleasure, and it feels a bit surreal to read it and edit it ten years after it's been written. I have to ask myself, what was I thinking then, and why did I choose this particular context for these characters. Fair warning though, Ed's suffering has just started.

The body on the hospital-style bed was as flawless as a thirteen-year-old could get: shiny golden hair and smooth skin, in stark contrast with the threadbare white sheets covering it. And it gave no answers to the frustrated scientists discussing in the room next to it.

“How did this happen? Months of testing and experiments, just when we finally reach the perfect formula. And then this!” the frustrated scientist gestured frantically at the quietly sleeping chimera. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and was furiously pacing the room, much to the annoyance of his other two companions.

“I don’t understand what’s the issue. What you have there, is a flawless specimen. Some would even call it beautiful,” a woman said while pushing up her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“Exactly! A girl, when it was supposed to be a boy. Dammit, it started as one!” by now he seemed ready to snap, and the other scientist who was quietly reading until that moment decided to intervene.

“Calm down, Paul, you’re not helping. And you, Dr. Marion,” he said turning to the woman who had a slightly surprised look upon her face, ”I thought you knew to read the whole file!”

“I read it, but… I mean, not even him could have made this type of mistake,” she said gesturing at Dr. Smith who was clenching his fists. 

“You two aren’t helping.” Fighting the urge to sigh, dr. William Cotton took control of the conversation. This was not the first his colleagues would attack one another, Dr. Eve Marion thought Dr. Paul Smith was a pompous ass, while he considered her nothing more than an old hack. But this was not something they’ve encountered before.“Do you have any ideas you can tell us right now?” He asked Dr. Marion while giving his colleague the chance to calm down

“As I’ve said, she looks perfect. There’s not a single problem, I can tell at this time without further testing. Even then, I’m not sure what I’m looking for. As for how this happened, considering that the original subject was male, I can only speculate.”

“Speculate away,” William said, as he watched the excitement slowly livening her face. His colleague had managed to reclaim some control too and was listening with feigned disinterest. They had already checked out the alchemical array, after three long days of going over all the symbols, they couldn’t see any difference.

“If I remembered correctly the boy was an alchemist, right?”

“Yes, but what…”

“A state alchemist.”

“A state license? That’s interesting. What would the state want from a child? Unless he was extremely gifted to what he did. Was he also missing limbs, or had internal injuries?

“He had automail for his right hand and left foot,” William answered before Paul could add to the conversation.

“Ah, so that brings us to the only possible explanation.” Dr. Marion finished triumphantly.

“Which is?” Paul asked while William’s eyebrows went up with the realization “Human Transmutation,” he said calmly.

“But how? What? I mean…” Paul quickly closed his mouth seeing the amused faces of his colleagues before starting to think about it. “If that were true, it would help explain this strange result. Partly, at least. We never worked with this type of subject, so we can’t compare. But still, how were the other expected results affected? We’ll have to stop the next experiment for a while. The colonel is not going to be happy.”

“Let me handle the colonel, you find me the answers,” William said, getting up from where he was leafing through a couple of files.

“What about the specimen? I’ll run the tests, but the colonel will probably ask us to terminate it. He already threatened to cut down the supply of Red Water, should we fail once more”. There was not a trace of feeling on Dr. Marion’ face while she spoke.

“As I’ve said, I’ll speak with the colonel. As for terminating it, there are some uses I can think for her, if the tests results are what we’re expecting, ”William's voice turned speculative. “I know that the colonel wants only strong soldiers, but any war needs covert operations. After all, who would suspect a child like her?”

“If you get him to approve, I already have a training plan I want to try” Dr. Marion’s smile gave Dr. Smith the urge to run for cover. 

“Back to work, people. Stop wasting precious time. I have to go and speak with our benevolent benefactor.” William ushered them out of the room. Before closing the door, he heard Dr. Marion throw one last barb. 

“You know, Paul, if your tiny brain can’t find any answers, you can always blame it on the cougar you used. It was female after all…”

“What?”

xxx

_Where am I?_ All that Ed could see when he opened his eyes was darkness, the only light coming from him. He raised his right hand, searching for something around him, but it was nothing there. He would have probably started to panic if his mind hadn’t been derailed by the sight of his right arm. A flesh arm. That had no business being there as far as he knew.

_What the hell?_ He quickly looked at his left foot, hoping, but not believing that could be true. He brought his left hand to touch it, he didn’t trust the newly recovered limb, and brushed his fingers over his knee, afraid that a firmer touch will disintegrate it. When warm skin met his fingers, his breath hitched, then he started to tremble.

_He had his body back!_ He thought, instinctively turning around and searching for his brother. He couldn’t wait to tell Al, the familiar name already falling from his lips. When he received no answer, Ed felt his chest constrict. No, he won’t believe that he regained his body only to lose his brother. Al had to be there. Somewhere close. He was sure of it.

_He’s not here,_ someone whispered at his ear. Ed turned frantically yet nothing, but darkness stood in front of him.

_Who’s there?_ He called, voice cracking with anger. At least he hoped it sounded like it. Anger was good. It masked the fear slowly gripping him.

_Al is not here because he was not needed,_ the voice came from all around him.

_What do you mean?_

_Don’t you remember?_ As the sentence faded, Ed’s mind was suddenly filled with a torrent of images: him fighting furiously against four men, while shouting at Al to get help, him bound tightly on the floor of a moving van, with blood slowly seeping from a wound on his side, him paralyzed in the middle of an array while somebody carefully put in place a glass container full to the brim with Red Water.

_NO, no no no no! This can be! No! I’m not a chimera! No, I don’t believe this! This is a fucking nightmare! I’m going to wake up now! Wake up! WAKE UP, DAMMIT1 Why can’t I wake up? I don’t believe this. THIS ISN’T TRUE!!!!_

_Yes, it is._

The calm answer cut through his mounting panic, leaving him winded and hollow. He opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it with a snap when he realized he knew the voice. He’d heard it before. He stood for a moment digesting the facts and controlling his emotions, before speaking once more:

_I’m not complaining, but didn’t you say that the next time we'd meet I’ll lose everything?_

_And yet, you gained everything. Don’t worry; the price has been paid. And since you weren’t the one to contact me this time, I can’t punish you for that._ The voice felt as if it was pouting.

_Becoming a chimera was my price? There’s more to it, I know it!_

_Don’t worry; I only gave you what you’ve always wanted — the ability to create life._

_WHAT?_

_Go now, they are expecting you. Until next time, Mr. Alchemist!_

He didn’t have a chance to answer, while a metaphorical knife stabbed his brain behind his eyes and chased away any coherent thoughts. What felt like hours later, he opened the eyes, only be greeted by a white ceiling and a pathetic light bulb right in the middle of it. Ed knew the type. Hospital rooms were the same everywhere.

He bit back a groan, throat parched and aching. He tried to raise his arm, but at the slight movement, a machine started to beep nearby. It was the loudest machine Ed’s ever heard, the annoying sound smashing his eardrums and adding its unwelcomed contribution to a headache the size of Amestris that he was having.

It hurt so much he couldn’t even scream. As he curled pathetically with his head between his arms a nurse entered the room, quickly assessed the situation and ran to turn off the machine.

For a few moments, Ed couldn’t hear anything, so it took him a while to realize the nurse was speaking with him.

“Are you alright. Should I get you anything?”

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

“Here, this should help.” A small glass of water with a straw was pushed his way. He drank it greedily, and by the time it was finished he found his voice to croak a quiet, “Thank you.”

“No need for that. The doctor will be here in a minute. Ah, there she is,” as a door opened a stern woman entered the room. She had a white hospital coat, reddish hair secured in a bun, small glasses perched on her nose, and as she came closer, the coldest eyes Ed had ever seen. He tried to mask the shiver that ran down his spine, but he knew she’d seen it. Ed had the impression that little escaped those eyes that now were appraising him like he was a piece of meat she was trying to buy.

“I see you are awake. Hello, I’m Dr. Eve Marion. How are you feeling?” Her smile had too many teeth, and for once in his life, Edward chose caution and remained silent while watching her take his observation sheet and jot something on it.

“Do you know where you are?” Ed bowed his head then gave a timid shake. Some part of him was amazed at his actions, but a larger part of his brain felt great fear of this woman. Something told him not to provoke her, or he’ll suffer painful consequences.

If possible, the woman’s smile grew even larger when she saw the timid response. As far as she could tell everything was in place. The conditioning they did on the animals before the experiments were working. It was necessary to make sure none of the chimeras rebelled against their makers or their final master. It was deeply ingrained in every one of them, and the newest addition followed the trend.

As usual, she knew her work was flawless. Just one more question and she could start the next stage of training. “Do you know who you are?” 


	3. The snowball is on top of the hill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the previous version of this fic I've chimera'ed Ed with a jaguar, but this time a cougar, or ghost-cat, seemed more appropriate. Fun fact about cougars, they are the largest of the small cats, so they can't roar. They scream.

“How is our little project?” pretending to read some files, Dr. Cotton asked the stern looking woman seated in front of his desk.

“Good. The tests results are better than we expected. Everything is working as it should. Her primary senses are smell and sight, just like the natural predator, and with the combat training she already has, I think we’ll be ahead of schedule this time.”

“Dr. Marion, it’s not like you to be this optimistic,” his comment was met with a frown, and he had to bit back a smile. “She started to remember, then?”

“She claims that she doesn’t and has almost no reaction to my questioning. But I still think we should test her more.”

“Does she remember alchemy?” - this was one of the major concerns of the person that was currently signing their checks, and he wanted to have something to show the next time the colonel came to visit.

Dr. Marion pursed he lips, a very uncharacteristic move for someone as outspoken as her. She opened her mouth and then closed it like she’d changed her mind, “She does not.”

“What do you mean? She refuses to perform any, or she doesn’t recognize the symbols?” Dr. Cotton had stopped fiddling with his files and was giving her his entire attention, the question delivered with a clipped tone, far colder than anything she’d heard him say. For the first time in her life, the self-assured woman felt anxiety related to her work.

“She can translate the symbols, but she won’t touch any of the arrays we presented her. We tried everything but no method, no matter how harsh, has had any effect.”

Dr. Cotton stapled his hands beneath his chin, leaning on the desk. In front of him, Dr. Marion resisted the urge to fidget. Between the two scientists, she would regularly annoy Dr. Smith, but the man in front of her made her cautious. She’d seen him make decisions far colder than she could stomach. 

“Prepare her for one final test. And use the whistle this time.”

“The whistle? I’m not certain she’s ready at this stage of the program. Judging from her answers, she’s still far too independent. It could damage everything we’ve done so far.”

“She doesn’t remember who she is, you said it yourself. And this test the last step of the mental conditioning all subjects go through before entering the second phase of their training. The notes were ingrained in her memory with alchemy, they are not going to fail. She’ll do exactly as we say, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll terminate her. Six weeks are more than enough time spent on a single subject, no matter how unique she appears to be.”

As the woman rose from the chair to comply with his orders, he added like an afterthought, “And tell Dr. Smith to prepare the Room for another experiment. The colonel has someone in mind who has been asking a lot of awkward questions.”

xxx

In a cold and barren cell situated deep inside the facility, Edward Elric just woke up from a nightmare-filled sleep. He lay on his back on a thin cot, knowing he wasn’t going to sleep again that night. Immediately, thoughts the final weeks of his life filled his mind.

Ed wasn’t doing so great, this new body of his felt foreign, sluggish and weak. Sometimes his limbs refused to listen, and his growing collection of cuts and bruises were a testament of all the corners and walls he’d bumped into as if he could no longer tell the distance.

Ever since he woke up in that hospital room his life had become a never-ending series of interrogation and tests. He never liked being poked with needles, but now he hated them with a passion usually reserved for milk and “short” jokes. They had taken more than enough blood to build another him from scratch but still came back for more.

And then there were tests; every day new ones that hurt his eyes and nose, and left him nauseous for hours after. He disliked the word “test,” in fact; there was an increasing number of things that he started to hate. And on top of that growing list was that woman Dr. Marion. All started with that seemly innocent question:

“Do you know who you are?”

 _Of course, I know who I am, what do you think I’m stupid or something?_ But as he opened his mouth to answer, something in the back of his mind screamed at him not to trust her, not to tell her anything because in the hands of someone like her any piece of information could be a weapon. So, he lied.

No, he didn’t remember who he was and how he got there - _that part was true_ ; no, he didn’t know alchemy - _you mean those pretty symbols, I know them but what do they do?_ Yes, his head hurt - _why was everyone so damn loud? And lady, lay off the perfume will you,…_ and so on. Every day she would ask the same questions, and every day he would give the same answers. And he could tell she was not pleased. But as far as he could tell, no one knew when he was bluffing. Except for Al, of course, his brother had always known when he was lying, and Ed felt his brother’s absence keenly. 

And of course, then came the other question. “Do you know you are a girl?”

That had hit him so hard that the only possible answer for him at that moment had been a very intelligent “Huh?”. In retrospect, not his brightest idea, seeing that the good doctor had been suspicious of him ever since, but at the time it was the best he could come up with. He’d been saved from further questioning that night by the frantic calls for a doctor that came from another room, so his mental breakdown had no witnesses. That, and the fact he had been too weak to move, had reduced the physical manifestation of his internal screaming to almost nothing. Still, by the time the subject came up again, he had managed to choke a quiet “Yes _._ ”

And it was a particularly hard pill to swallow. To be fair, coming back from the Gate and finding his body seemly whole with flesh arms and legs had distracted him from wondering what was missing, but now the message the Voice gave him – _the ability to create life –_ made a horrible amount of sense. And it had taken him several hours while he circled between denial and anger, to calm down and stop thinking about his change. Not that there wasn’t a deeply seethed anger brewing inside him and threatening to swallow everything.

So, he was a girl, the change stable enough to seem permanent. Sometimes he feared not even the Philosopher Stone could help him now, but he quickly squashed the thought and sent it the back in his mental dark closet. He wasn’t giving up hope. Not now, not ever. Everything life had thrown at him he had taken it and then came back for more, so the fact that now he had the body of a girl didn’t matter. He was still Ed Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, and that wasn’t going to change!

 _Who am I kidding_? He was stuck in a cold cell, in the middle of who knows where, with people who, judging by their work, were more monsters than the chimeras they were creating. He knew he wasn’t the first experiment. The tag sewed to his uniform said _no. 369_ , and he didn’t want to think about what happened to the rest, seeing that the cells around him were empty. Not that he planned to stick around for long enough to find out. He was getting out one way or the other.

With his resolve firm once again, Ed let his eyes travel on the walls of his prison cell searching for a something, anything that could help him escape. He couldn’t use alchemy, but not because he didn’t know how, as he let his captors believe. No, what was stopping him were the arrays engraved on the cell walls, floor, and ceiling — a simple yet effective design that would take the energy from a single alchemical spark and multiply it until it was large enough to create an explosion that would destroy the entire cell block. It was brilliant work, and Ed would have congratulated its creator, except for the fact it was directed against him. And the metal bars that served as a door were no better. They too were incorporated in the arrays. Not for the first time in the last weeks, Ed mourned the loss of his metal limbs and the power they had.

 _Don’t worry little brother; I’ll get through this._ Mentally prepared to face another day, Ed stood up and stretched his limbs. His sensitive ears were already picking the sound of footsteps. He listened for a while, part of him still amazed at his heightened senses, while another part of him was busy translating the information he received. The steps were lighter than usual, so the guard wasn’t carrying any food tray. And that meant only one thing: more tests. He mentally groaned. 

He had no idea that by the end of the day his world will tilt its axis once more.


	4. It's ready to tumble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was editing this while listening to the soundtrack from The Crimes of Grindelwald movie. Seem fitting. :)

“No. 369, activate the array.”

It was a simple design: a circle over a square with iron and coal already placed in the middle. It could create steel, and it was something that Ed learned how to do when he was six.

“I don’t know how,” the lie came easily after weeks of practice.

“We’ve been over this. You leave us no choice.” Last time the doctor had said those particular words, Ed received one of the worst beatings of his life, which left him bruised and aching for days. He tensed, eyes focused on the door.

Confusion replaced wariness when the two thugs which passed for guards in the lab didn’t show up. Instead, Dr. Marion took out a small silver whistle, and after a quick pause, she placed it on her lips. Three long high notes and a short mellow one.

Nothing happened, only some persistent ringing in his ears. Ed hoped for a moment that whatever she had wanted to try, hadn’t worked. Then came the request.

“No. 369, activate the array.”

It was the strangest sensation, to feel his body moving without him commanding it. He tried to stop, but to his growing horror he couldn’t even open his mouth or blink away the sudden moisture gathered at the corner of his eyes. His knees gave up on their own next to the array, his palms clapped softly and then placed themselves securely on the outer ring on the design. As the energy built inside his body, his mind frantically tried to regain control of his misbehaving limbs.

_No! You’re mine, not theirs! Listen to me!_

He could feel the energy growing in the center of his chest, the heat quickly spreading to his misbehaving limbs, the fine hair on his arm standing up as the wave passed underneath his skin through elbows and wrists and approached the tips of his fingers…. _NO!!!_.....and then stopped.

_That never happened before,_ was the only thought doings rounds in his confused mind as he continued to watch his hands. The energy wasn’t gone, he could feel it under his skin building power as it traveled up and down inside his body, but never over the barriers, he mentally placed on it; and Ed remembered telling him repeatedly: “The mind is stronger than the body.”

But he knew that his carefully kept control will soon snap if he didn’t release the energy. Body is almost quivering with tension; he waited the scientist’s decision for a minute that felt more like an hour and blinked … _Wait a minute! I can blink!..._ when he heard the doctor speak.

“It seems she was telling the truth. Move her with the others in the C section. Her fate will soon be decided.”

Ed felt them lifting him from the floor, one of the guards putting him over his shoulder. He tried to be as still as possible, as he was carried like a sack of potatoes, his body responding only partially to his mental commands. Near the cell blocks, as the guard was reaching for his keys, Ed’s hand twitched as he felt the last vestige of foreign control leaving him, his fingers brushing the dark grey walls. A small spark sizzled, while Ed stared mutedly the small dent it left on the wall before he was put on his feet and pushed inside a nearby empty cell.

For a long moment, he just stood there, his thoughts rushing like mice running away from a hungry cat. His temples throbbed while pain stabbed him behind his eyes, and his rebelling stomach joined the fray. Eventually, two main ideas crystalized from riot happening in his mind - he really hated not being in control, and if that hadn’t been a fluke, he could now do alchemy with just a touch.

Ed gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to scream. Figuring out how to get away was now more urgent than ever, he couldn’t let them control him like a damn dog. Ed looked around his new home, while his tired brain still rattled. It took him a while to realize it, but when he did, the first smile in a long time graced his lips.

The walls were bare. He was going out as soon as possible.

xxx

For some, Maes Hughes was an annoying man far too obsessed with his wife and daughter, to his colleagues he was a good boss and a talented and shrewd Intelligence Officer, but to one Colonel Mustang, he had been the best friend one could ask for.

So, when the report detailing Maes Hughes’ death was placed on Roy Mustang’s desk, the snap and the flames which ate the wood and the papers piled on it didn’t receive not even a comment. Long after the flames were subdued and the burned furniture was taken outside, Roy Mustang sat at his newly replaced desk with hollow eyes.

It hurt him to think. So much that he could barely breathe. Fullmetal’s unexplained disappearance had hurt a lot too, as the blond had burrowed his way even in the most guarded of hearts, but the loss of his closest friend, the one person that brought him back from the brought of suicide and promised him unconditional support, threatened to overwhelm him with pain. He hid his face behind his clenched hands, while he focused on breathing. Destroying office was one thing, he couldn’t feed the rumors further by being unable to do his job. Eventually, he pushed everything in the back of his mind and tried to recapture his fleeting control. He had to think about it logically.

Only weeks after Edward Elric had disappeared, Hughes’s death was highly suspicious. After the initial frantic phone call from Alphonse Elric, which informed him of Fullmetal’s kidnapping, no new information had come to light. And after two months, he was told to stop as “the military officials had no use of troublesome children that liked to play games.” He knew Fullmetal wasn’t like that, but the orders had come, and he trusted only Maes to continue to ask around discreetly. 

And now he was dead. Perhaps they were killed because of him, Roy couldn’t help but wonder. It certainly looked that way, and the colonel had made more than one powerful enemy with his quick rise in the ranks. Or maybe it was something larger and sinister at work.

No matter the case, Roy vowed to find and punish those responsible for the gaping hole that threatened to engulf his heart. That was his promise to his missing men. Cool mask back in place, he stood up; legs firm once more now that he regained his purpose.

He couldn’t afford to break down, not until it was over.


	5. Unexpected circumstances

Ed woke up at sunrise. He couldn’t be sure since there were no windows to his cell, but an annoying internal watch kept him posted that somewhere above him the sun was rising and preparing for a new day. He got out of his cot and stretched, popping his stiff joints.

With the last traces of sleepiness gone, he looked around. The walls were bare, no arrays on them, and for the first time since the change, Ed could feel hope building inside. He managed to trick them into believing that he lost his talent, and they relaxed his guard. 

Even now, hours after the last test he could feel the gentle hum of the alchemy traveling in his body. It had settled down along with his headache, just like a cat dozing in a comfortable spot. But it was ready to pounce at the slightest provocation.

He could have escaped last night. Would have had, in true Fullmetal Alchemist fashion with guns blazing, earth-shaking and buildings crashing, but that damn Whistle changed everything. His escape had to be a quiet, allowing him a detour through the files section. He needed more information about what had been done to him and how to reverse it. At least the control thing. 

With a plan already forming in his head, Ed was startled from his thoughts by the sound of two different footsteps and the rhythmic screech of small wheels. Driven by his curiosity, he approached the bars of his cell trying to peek through only to see two guards, one pushing a stretcher where a third man laid unconscious, while the other guard kept an eye on things, passed cell after cell before stopping in front of the one across from Ed. One of them opened the door and unceremoniously dropped the unconscious man on the thin cot inside.

“How much time before he wakes up?” the burly guard staying outside asked, while the other hurried to leave the cell.

“Two hours, just like the others. Do you want to bet what they used this time?” came the answer. ”Can’t really tell with the newest guys, but my guess is a dog.”

“And I’ll say is a cat. Bet you a month’s wager.”

Ed couldn’t take it anymore. Their careless words were fueling the rage inside. Neither he nor the other man was some stupid zoo exhibit. He growled. Before his brain could register the irony, the guards turned around with surprise on their face.

“Well, well the little girl is awake. And she’s mad. Are you?” one of the asked, approaching the bars. Ed glared.

“Careful. I hear she’s a special project.”

“What can she do? Chew on the bars?” Neither of them saw Ed move, and only the guard’s quick reflexes saved the man from the chimera’s outstretched hand. Ignoring his snickering partner the man got up from the floor and dusted his clothes, an ugly expression on his face. He placed a hand on the gun holster on his right and watched with satisfaction as Ed drew back his fingers. They stared at each other, the guard smug and the alchemist with defiance, until the other guard called up.

“Let's go. We are late.” The guard glared just before going away, and Ed suppressed the childish urge to stick out his tongue.

He was leaving tonight, Ed decided and then turned and glanced at the man they left behind. Golden eyes locked on bright green ones, and then the silence between them was broken by a baffled, “Edward?”

xxx

After hours of reading, the letters blurred into black spots, instead of anything legible. Putting off the reading glasses that most people didn’t know he used, Roy massaged his temple, letting his tired eyes relax for a moment. The report, now resting in his lap, was a complete copy of the one he destroyed along with his office. And while the report’s conclusion placed the blame for Maes Hughes death on Scar, with credible evidence collected at the crime scene, the colonel knew that it was false.

Several credible reports placed the Ishvalan in one of the cities in the far north of Amestris, and unless the rebel learned how to fly, he couldn’t have killed Hughes in Central and then be seen there in the same day. No. It was most likely a military cover-up, which brought up more questions than answers.

_What did Maes uncover which was considered so dangerous that he had to be silenced? Who was involved? And let’s not forget about Fullmetal disappearance. How is it tied with all this?_ his tired thoughts chased one another. Some of the answers had to be in the report he was currently handling, but he couldn’t see any of them. With a sigh, Roy gathered the papers and closed the folder earning himself a steady gaze from one of his companions.

Despite the late hour and the long road 1st Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was as alert as ever, in contrast with 2nd Lieutenant Jean Havoc who was dozing off, having succumbed to the numbing motion of the train carrying them to Central.

She watched her commanding officer intently, noting new tension lines along his eyes and mouth. Riza wondered if the man had slept at all since the spectacular loss of control resulting in the incineration of his office two days ago, but the dark undereye circles said otherwise. He looked a mess, something she would have normally pointed out. However, the almost desperate determination to find the killer of his best friend that was shinning in his dark eyes made her pause. She knew that look; it was a part of the colonel not many realized was there. It also reminded her of why she had chosen him, the most notorious skirt chaser in Central, as her commanding officer.

So she kept her mouth shut and took the role of silent guardian, hoping to be strong enough to help him reach his goal. A light snore from nearby interrupted that particular train on thought, and Riza remembered she wasn’t alone, and an entire team of exceptional soldiers gave their loyalty to the Colonel. Settled by the thought, she stood straighter in her seat. She had a job to do, and nobody could ever accuse her of slacking.

As the train approached the Central train station, the 1st Lieutenant was the first to see the imposing blue-clad figure of Major Louis Armstrong emerge from the mass of hurried travelers. His presence would have usually comforted her, extra protection was always welcome, and the alchemist was a strong fighter, but as they left the train, a foreboding feeling made her survey their surroundings intently. She was already drawing her weapon when the sound of a lone bullet shattered the usual morning noise.


	6. First roll

“What?” the staring was getting annoying.

“Forgive me, Edward, but … it’s just…”

“I know, I have my body back.” He replied looking at his arm and so missing the incredulity on the man’s face.

“Oh, that’s great! But,” he took a long breath continued, “Why do you look so…so feminine?”

Ed crossed his arms and scrunched his shoulders, “Is it…obvious?”

The man studied him seriously for a moment. “You are still recognizable as Edward. But everything just looks softer. You know what I mean,” however, seeing the boy’s confused look, he added, “Haven’t you seen yourself in a mirror?”

“Because of all the mirrors they put down here?” Ed angrily gestured at the bare walls. “Mister Hughes, please! How do I look?” a note of desperation crept in his tone.

“The changes aren’t much. Your eyes seem bigger than before, and everything is more delicate. Also, your shoulders are narrower. Not to mention the…” he gestured vaguely at the chest area, which Ed immediately covered with his arms, “Just imagine what your twin sister would have looked like,” he said eventually.

They sat in silence, while Ed went through the description. Mentally, he had known about the changes. Being called “girl” by strangers, when they weren’t saying that dreadful _number_ , was a clear indication, but somewhat it didn’t register. In his mind, he still saw himself as a boy. But to meet somebody who knew him from before, drove the point home for the first time. And it wasn’t a pleasant thought, as it opened a path to a series of other thoughts that he successfully suppressed before. _How is Al going to react? How will the others? Will he regain his life back? What is he going to do if they rejected him? How…_

“Don’t worry about it, right now,” Maes Hughes broke the silence and the spiral of Edward’s thoughts, helping the alchemist regain some composure. He then glanced at the cell walls and the thick iron bars that held him captive before asking, “So, Ed, do you have an idea how to get out of here?”

“I, no we will go tonight. Good thing I didn’t run away before now. Mister Hughes how did you get here anyway?”

“Please, call me Maes, and I could ask you the same. Al didn’t make much sense on the phone. He just said you were captured.”

“How is he? Is he alright? When they took me away, I remember he was still fighting.”

“The banged him pretty bad. He lost the legs and an arm, but the blood seal wasn’t affected,” Maes quickly added, seeing Edward panicking look. “Al is in Rizembool now, and Miss Rockbell and Major Fuery are keeping an eye on him. The plan was to find you as soon as possible to put him back in one piece.”

Ed glowered. It wasn’t as if he’d wanted to be kidnapped, and was ready to say something, but he realized he was getting sidetracked. He asked again, and this time Hughes answered.

“Somebody followed me on my way home, and I was stupid enough to think I could take them by myself. We fought, and I got shot. They threw me into a van and took away everything. Even my wedding ring,” Maes said, while a shadow crossed his face. “I must have passed out from the blood loss because the next thing I remember is people arguing. And then a woman said, ‘test specimen’. The next time I woke up, I was on the gurney and two guards pushing it were arguing about bets.” The man sat down on his cot unwilling to say anything more. He looked at his hand as if fascinated by his bare fingers for a long time and Edward let him be. So, it was a surprise when Maes choose to speak again.

“I just realized. Even with the distance between us and the dim light I can still see you perfectly.” He paused, “Edward, what did they do to me?”

“Human transmutation combined with chimera research,” Ed answered with a hint of bitterness in his tone. That seemed to stun the man back into silence, and they sat like that until a guard came bringing them their lunch.

Edward wrinkled his nose before taking a bite. The food tasted funny, even though it looked like a regular stew, but he was always listless after he ate. With growing realization, he stared at the food he was about to eat before dumping it quickly on the plate.

“Mister Hug…Maes, stop eating! They put something in it!” the man stopped mid-chew and spat the food back on the plate.

“Are you sure?” the Major asked with concern, after wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Not really, but if we are to escape tonight, I won’t take any chances. It would explain why they never gave me something to eat before any endurance or agility tests. Why didn’t I see it before?” Ed mumbled to himself and suddenly shivered. It was certainly plausible - just another method of control.

If the guard was surprised to see the uneaten food, he didn’t show it. He took the trays without a word, and Edward let out a relieved sigh.

Time seemed to slowly go by as they waited for the hour to escape. To ignore his growling stomach Ed took a nap, and as the hours went away, he could feel himself becoming restless. He already shared with Hughes the points of his escape plan - simple but efficient, and now they were both waiting for the right opportunity.

Ed strained his hearing as far as he could, but nothing caught his attention besides the approaching guards making their rounds and the annoying hum of electrical appliances. Good. If they waited five minutes after the guards passed them, they had roughly a half an hour before the next round.

He mentally counted the seconds, took a deep breath and prepared himself. It was time. He placed his hands together with a soft clap and touched with a finger the locking mechanism on his door. A quick blue spark and the door opened, moving soundlessly on its hinges. Just like a shadow, he quickly repeated the process on Maes cell door, while the man watched him with alert eyes.

“It never fails to amaze me what alchemy can do,” the Major softly muttered while stepping outside the cell. Edward answered with a quick grin.

Luck was on their side as they made their way on the dimly lit corridors. As the minutes were ticking by, Ed picked up the pace. They were nearing the elevators, the only possible way out from the underground facility, when the sound of someone approaching from a nearby hall, halted their progress. They couldn’t risk being seen, nor attack, as the end of the corridor, was still far from their position and the incoming guard had enough time to call the alarm.

Edward glanced around their position, but the smooth walls offered no places to hide, and the only visible door was also too far from them. Hoping he didn’t make a mistake, he placed his hands on the nearest wall and created a hole. He quickly looked around the room ready to flee should he see anybody. It was unoccupied. Quickly, he entered the room, with Hughes close behind and promptly transformed the wall to its previous state, just in time for the guard turning the corner no to notice anything strange.

They stood against the wall until the sound of footsteps faded completely before really locking around the room. _His luck was really good;_ Ed thought when his gaze landed on rows after rows of filing cabinets.

“Maes, take the ones on the left, while I search those on the right. I need anything you can find on what they did to us.”

“Understood.” They quickly started to search. They didn’t have the time to search everything methodically, so Ed relied on his intuition while he randomly opened the drawers. He noticed the filing system used numbers instead of letters, so he made his way the cabinet that held files numbers 300 to 400.

“365, 366, 368…370. Damn it, where is 369?”

“Ed, here.” Maes gestured to the drawer next to his elbow. “It’s the only one I found locked.” Ed left his side of the room, clapping his hands on the go and then he placed them on the cabinet. Immediately the drawer sprung open, its content easy to see. It consisted of one tick file with the words: Medical Development of Experimental Alchemy, and inside brackets the acronym MEDEA.

“MEDEA? Probably, that’s what we were looking for.” Grinning Edward lifted the file, his hands almost itching to open it.

“Come, we don’t have time for…” the words died on Maes' lips when they both heard a key being placed inside a lock.

Xxx

“Trying to kill the Flame Alchemist was stupid,” _and I don’t tolerate stupid_ the tone implied. The general was sitting in front of the window, hands clasped behind and his back turned to the nervous looking subordinate.

“Yes, sir,” came the slightly unsteady reply.

“You will have Colonel Mustang under surveillance, but you will follow your orders this time. Am I understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Dismissed. Now Colonel Maybourne, give me the latest report.”

When he was finally alone in the office, the General sat at his desk thinking about the latest development. The secret plan was nearing its end, and while it had the potential to reward those involved beyond their wildest expectation; until completed, it also had the potential to explode into their faces. The thought of losing everything he had worked for in the last fifteen years when he could almost taste the victory was making him slightly nervous and angrier than normally at his subordinate independent actions.

It was turning into a mess. Kidnapping the Fullmetal kid had been a calculated risk, since the final result: a chimera capable of alchemy and completely loyal to its master was extremely appealing. Too bad that according to the report on his desk, that didn’t happen.

The boy had passed the official exam only a year before, and there were many resenting his achievements and general existence so that his disappearance would be quickly swept under the proverbial rug. What they failed to take in consideration, he realized, was the boy’s commanding officer commitment to his crew. The Flame Alchemist Roy Mustang was, as his name suggested, a wildcard as demonstrated by the continuous search for the missing alchemist even after the official order to stop it. And targeting the Colonel himself was a sure way to attract attention when the secrecy of their action had been their closest ally so far.

_Maybe I am reading too much into this,_ he tried to reassure himself. _After all, what could a simple Colonel do?_ No, the Flame Alchemist was just a pawn on the chessboard of life. Worth a little attention, but not enough to distract the General from the bigger picture. They could always eliminate him when the time was right _._

Calm again and with his mind set on the next stage of the plan, he called for his secretary to bring him the latest paperwork. After all, life went on, and he had to keep the appearances of an obedient dog of the military until the very end.


	7. Second roll

The lock to the Files Storage room always jammed, so the young assistant fumbled with the keys while thinking about the food waiting for him at home. He just had to put down the files he was carrying, and he was out for the day. He opened the door, entered the room and blindly searched around for the light switch. What he found, when he turned on the light, was a glaring teen with golden hair and eyes, and a lightning-fast punch that smashed in his chin. Pain exploded as he stumbled behind, when a pair of steel arms circled his neck, one palm firmly over his mouth. He struggled in the chokehold, but as less and less oxygen reached his brain, his moves became sluggish until they stopped altogether. Maes held on for another few seconds, then laid the body gently on the floor.

“Is he alive?”

“Unconscious. We were lucky; a guard might have put on more of a fight. But I don’t remember being so strong,” Maes said while clenching his fists. He then looked at the young man laying on the floor. “We are almost the same size. I’ll take his coat and pose as him, might buy us some time.”

Maes moved quickly. He was nearly finished when one of the sleeves caught on something. He yanked the coat and then saw a strange looking bracelet circling the man’ wrist.

“Ed?” he called, lifting the hand so that the alchemist could see it better. Edward crouched down and studied it for a moment, his brows furrowed.

“Looks like it was made with alchemy,” Ed said then reached for it, only to take back his hand when a small blue spark left his fingers and got into the bracelet, which glowed for a moment. Ed frowned, then got up while telling Maes, “Take with you; it may be useful.”

As they turned to leave, something crinkled under Ed’s feet. He looked down and saw they were walking on the fallen files the assistant had been carrying. He nearly took a step forward, when a large, familiar signature caught his attention. He stared numbly as anger mingled with disbelief grew inside him.

_That…BASTARD!_

He picked it up for a closer look, his hand faintly trembling. Up close, the name was even clearer. He scanned the rest of them, picking up several papers and stuffing them under his shirt next to the files he already stole, the feeling of betrayal leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Ed, come on.” Maes urged him. Ed clenched his jaw, trying to bring his swirling feelings under control. He then picked up the pace. He had some serious thinking to do once they got out of there.

Their trek to the elevators went undisturbed, the sound of doors sliding open unnaturally loud in the quiet corridor. Once they entered, the closed cabin felt safe, and Maes sighed. “So far so good.”

Ed nodded, his mind going in circles about the papers hidden beneath his clothes. He shook his head, as to banish his undisciplined thoughts, then straightened his shoulders. The lights told him they were reaching the last floor; he had more urgent worries. 

The ding from the elevator felt like a jolt, and Ed tensed while waiting for the doors to open. The empty corridor behind the was strangely disappointing, and he needed a moment before following Maes who was already walking in the hall with silent strides. Ed was getting a bad feeling about the situation by the time they crossed the third corridor without sensing any approaching guards.

_What kind of high-security facility is this?_

It was too easy to be true, and it was grating on his nerves. Ed got his answer when they came in front of the exit. Everything: the walls, the ceiling, the floor and the door itself were covered with faintly glowing arrays, like the ones that had kept him prisoner in his first cell. And the door was made of what seems to be thick steel.

Ed wanted to hit something.

“This is bad,” Maes stated the obvious.

“Yes. See this array, here?” Ed pointed to the middle of the floor where a beautiful design on interlocked circles was glowing brighter than the others. “They are already active, getting power from a source in a continuous energy loop. Step on them, and you will be reduced to your most basic elements. Quite clever.”

“What will you do about them? And quick, we’ve been gone for more than half an hour,” Maes glanced behind them while Ed shot him a dirty look.

 _Why did he have to do all the hard work? He was just an alchemist_.

_Right._

“I need some sort of a key. I can’t believe nobody from this place ever goes outside.”

“A key?”

“Yes, a combination of symbols.”

“You mean like this one,” Maes brought up the bracelet from his pocket.

Ed grinned, and then took the bracelet from Maes outstretched hand, the contact making him twitch when his alchemy reacted with the symbols. The bracelet was glowing, and Ed squared his shoulders and stepped on the array. He released a long breath when nothing happened and cautiously made another step when a sudden pain shot through his body. With a muffled cry he fell to his knees when the second bout of pain made him lose his balance, his hands landing on the floor. He didn’t even have the time to shout a warning when the array surrounding him shone with a blinding light.

xxx

1st Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye watched with a grim expression when the last visitor for the morning, another woman bearing a gift, entered the private hospital room where the Roy Mustang was recuperating from the shot that grazed his right arm. Riza knew that no more work would be done for at least an hour, so she briskly gathered the files she brought inside and left the room without a word. She closed the door gently, refusing to let her frustration show, and conveniently ignored the “That lucky bastard,” that Jean Havoc muttered under his breath.

Inside the room, Roy Mustang smiled warmly at the redhead that was watching him with barely suppressed mirth.

“ My lovely Sarah, your presence brightens the day. Why don’t you leave that man of yours and let me show you the world?”

“Cut the carp, Mustang.” She said while taking a seat at the edge of his bed. “You must be feeling better if you’re already spewing nonsense.”

“A mere bullet wound would never stop me from appreciating your beauty.” He gave her another of those shiny smiles that were the talk of most women who saw him, but his gaze turned serious when he eyed the large chocolate box she was carrying.

“Is that all?”

“All that I could gather in a hurry. Good thing I made copies before they came and took it all away.” She fidgeted, then added quickly, “I’m sorry about Maes. I know he was your friend”

Roy nodded, but his attention was already on the papers that came out from the chocolate box. “Personnel files? What would Maes want from them? Are you sure there was nothing else?”

“I’m sure, Roy. These are the last files Major Hughes worked with, before his death. And it’s nothing there that looks important. Yet, you should have seen how Colonel Maybourne reacted, when found out they had been on Major Hughes’ desk. Anne, his secretary, told me he went white.”

“Oh?”

“And it was by his orders, that soldiers came and took them away, even before we heard about the Major’s death. Annie was complaining in the Mess hall about how he called her in the middle of the night and told her to come to the office before the anyone else.”

“Colonel Maybourne?”

“Yes. Quite a bland man, but a bit of a nasty streak from what the girls tell me. He is assigned to General Hakuro.”

“I see. Anything else, I should know about?”

“That’s it, sweet cheeks. I’ll tell you if I find anything else. The usual way.” She got up from the edge of the bed. “And take care. The girls would be very disappointed if something were to happen to our favorite Colonel.”

“You sure you don’t want to run away with me?” the smile was back into his eyes. The woman winked then left the room, hips sashaying under a form-fitting dress.

 _Colonel Maybourne._ Roy thought, eyes narrowing in thought. He had a name, which was more than enough to start digging.


	8. And, they're out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back when it was first posted, this chapter was betaed by the helpful UraharaFangirl90 and cuylerjade. I'm still thankful they took their time to help me.

Pain. Shaper than anything Ed had experienced before, as the array beneath him sucked away his alchemy and sent the energy to activate other designs. Every cell in his body was being crushed, transformed into pure energy and then fed to a famished monster that was never satisfied. It made him want to block it with all his strength, to lock himself where nothing could touch him, or feel anything. Where he was nothing.

As Edward descended deeper and deeper into his mind, his body slowly consumed by alchemy; unreal voices, which nobody alive has ever heard, began to whisper directly to his soul. _Come to us golden child. Join us, and you will never need for anything. You will never be hurt or afraid again. Come with us, become one of us…_ Their siren song a deadly trap that was numbing his senses and making him forget everything little by little. _Do not fight us. Yes. That’s the way. Come to us._ Silken words that made him crave for nothingness, where the entity known as Edward Elric was nothing more than a speck of light trapped inside an alchemical reaction.

 _BROTHER!_ The image of a young boy superimposed on that of a giant suit of armor pierced the lull, silencing all the other voices. What was he doing here, giving up, forgetting how to fight?

_Al would be ashamed of me._

Hot guilt and anger sparked through his mind and body, chasing away the numbness and bringing back the pain. This time, he was prepared for it. It hurt like hell, but he didn’t let that distract him anymore. This was his body, his mind, his soul, and his alchemy to control and no damned array was ever going to get the best of him. He concentrated on the palms of his hands; at the spot where they connected with the circles, twin flows of energy were fed into the array. Creating a mental wall around him was no use, his whole being already too integrated into the alchemical reaction to make a difference. Desperation gripped him when he realized that there was nothing, he could do to stop it. He needed to do something and quick.

 _It’s no use stopping it. But what if I try to reverse it?_ He knew he was running out of time, his body getting more and more transparent. He concentrated with all his remaining strength on the energy leaving him.

 _Get back here!_ He demanded but then a sudden rush made him lose the concentration, leaving him weaker than before. He needed a different approach. Ed frantically searched for a specific memory, _Right, here we go,_ and with the face of his mother clear in his mind, he spoke with all the longing stored in his heart. _Come back to me._

It resisted his call like an angry child, but Ed could already feel a lessening in the speed of the flow of power. Encouraged by it, he coaxed it. _You know me. You know what I’m capable of, what we can do together. Don’t leave me._ Bit by bit, the current slowed down, and the pain lessened gradually. When the energy drain finally stopped, he stood frozen, knowing that anything could break the fragile equilibrium.

Just like a tidal wave rushing back to the beach, the alchemy slammed back into him, filling him again with much-needed energy that rebuilt his body.

And then came the images.

Fractured at first, they slowly began to form the picture of the most complicated system of arrays that he had ever seen. The work of a genius, all the alchemic designs came from a large central array that was feeding them with energy, like the circular branches of a tree. Set on different levels, some were glowing while others were inactive, and Edward could see himself sitting on one of the glowing arrays set in the outer edge. With a start, he realized that what he was seeing was a strange three-dimensional blueprint of the underground facility. That gave him an idea. He just hoped that it wasn’t as disastrous as his last rushed action.

He searched around the inactive arrays until he found the one that had been used on his first cell. He could have recognized it in his sleep after almost three months of studying it day after day. How ironic it was that now that design was the one that would help him escape.

 _There it is. And look there are six other placed around just like it. I wonder what they’re guarding. Well, I guess I won’t ever find out._ Despite his careless words, it was with much apprehension that he released a small bit of alchemical energy in the array that was keeping him prisoner. It was quickly absorbed inside the design, yet nothing more was asked from him; his body had returned to his full control once more.

 _That’s more like it_. Edward then sent a second bout of alchemy, this time with a clear destination in mind, and followed it as it traveled from array to array, waiting for the final explosion. He didn’t have to wait long.

xxx

Not even when faced with the gun that nearly stopped his life, had Maes Hughes felt as powerless as the moment he watched Edward Elric being engulfed in that blinding light. He wanted to rush in it and take the alchemist away from his fate, but a powerful, almost irrational fear coming from an alien presence in his mind, something he had successfully ignored until now, was kipping him rooted to the spot, his body frozen for what felt like hours - though it was barely even a minute - until the light suddenly toned down leaving him blinking away white spots. Not for the first time, he questioned the extent of the changes made to him, but all the thoughts about that came to a halt when the figure of Edward Elric appeared in front of him seemly unharmed. Suddenly able to move, he took a step forward calling for the alchemist.

“Edward. Are you alright?” The silence that followed didn’t bode well, and Maes came closer. At that moment the array dimly glowed again, and a flash of light went through the floor, showing for the briefest of moments, previously invisible alchemic symbols. Crouching down next to the alchemist Maes didn’t pay them attention, his eyes focused only on the motionless figure when the floor sudden trembling send him falling, the sound of a powerful underground explosion coming seconds later4.

His tense body a protective barrier on top the unconscious teen, he waited for the tremors to stop, flinching every time pieces from the ceiling came down near them. The silence that followed had an eerie feel to it, and Maes took a deep breath when faced with the large piece that had fallen only inches away from his head. Coughing away the dust he inhaled he looked around assessing the damage. The previously active array was now dead, broken by large cracks that crisscrossed everything except the steel door that had remained in place. Fortunately, the portion of the wall supporting the hinges was mostly gone.

The wailing alarm that began spurred him into action and taking Ed’s limp body in his arms, bridal style, he ran towards the door. A good kick finished the job started by the alchemist, and they were out.

“Stop right there! Identify yourself!” the shouted commands punctuated by bullets whizzing near his ears only made him run faster.

 _You stop, nobody is shooting you,_ he thought as they got closer to the steel fence surrounding the restricted area. It was then that Maes realized that they had a big problem that neither had previously considered: eight feet tall steel bars, barbwire not included, without a visible way to get through. And going back the way they came was not an option.


	9. Fire hazard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time of year I'm at my busiest, so don't worry if more than a week passes between updates. I hope everyone's year has had a great start!

Everything happened in a split second. He was already airborne before his mind caught up with his body when he realized he was attempting to jump over eight feet of steel fence while carrying Edward. He half expected to go splat like a bug on the windshield, so he couldn’t believe it when he landed safely, on the other side of the fence, his thoughts a silent echo of the shouts coming from the guards.

“What the hell?”

“Did you see that?”

“What…”

**_BOOM._ **

Brilliant flames reached for the sky while the aftershock of the explosion flattened all of them to the ground, silencing the guards. The first to regain his footing, Maes scooped up the unconscious alchemist, and after a few dazed steps, he ran into the forest surrounding the facility.

He moved like a shadow, not a leaf moving while he increased the distance between them and their former prison. For a strange reason, the forest felt like home, his body reveled in the liberty of running, the motion as natural as breathing. Just another thing he didn’t want to think about, as he searched for the right way.

A gust of wind from the south brought a whiff of exhaustion fumes, different from the smell of fire he’d left behind. Pollution, telling him that a city was only a couple of miles down the hill.

He stopped in a clearing to catch his breath, resting his back against a large tree as he shifted his hold on the alchemist. Somewhere along their escape the bo…err, the girl had switched from unconsciousness to a deep, healing sleep; and Maes hated to disturb it, but his right arm was going numb. As smooth as possible he shifted the teen in his arms, trying not to wake Edward. Seeing him…her, _damn, it would take time to get used to that,_ asleep and looking so young and innocent, reminded him of his precious daughter and the nights he used to stand in the doorway and watch over her as she slept, his wife by his side. The thought of them crushed his heart, he couldn’t even think about what Gracia must have been feeling. He could take anything these bastards had thrown at him, even the disturbing changes that he could feel in his body; but for making Gracia and Elysia suffer, Maes would make them pay. That was his vow.

Deciding he was rested enough, Maes took off running, hoping to reach the outskirts of the city before the streets got busy.

Reaching the first houses just before the dawn, he almost gagged when the potent smells of days old garbage and animal waste intermingled with others he didn’t want to identify. Breathing shallowly through his mouth, he bypassed the occasional drunk snoring in a ditch or slumped against a wall, as he made his way through the narrow streets, alert eyes scanning the surroundings on the lookout for possible danger or something he could use as a shelter. At an intersection he found it. The rundown two-story building was their best option, and he stepped inside, just as a group of workers was about to take a turn in his way.

Fortunately, the shadows didn't reveal any surprise squatter, and the walls seemed quite solid, muffling the noises from the street. Maes made his way through the broken remains of chairs and tables, reaching a stairway located near a dusty old bar. He carefully climbed the worn stairway, listening to any obvious signs of collapse, yet despite some serious creaking noises, the stairs held on.

Maes cursory checked every room he passed, but they were all quite trashed. At the end of the hall, he found the only locked door in the corridor. That made him curious. He could tell there was nobody behind it, so the chances were high that the room had something he could use. Normally, Maes would have picked the lock, but with his arms occupied by the sleeping alchemist, he took the more physical approach: he kicked it open, sending the door, and whatever was jamming it, crashing in the nearby wall.

_That was fun._

The door fell to the ground.

Maes paused, his arms tightening his grip on Ed, but the alchemist didn’t even stir. After a moment Maes stepped inside.

The room was small and in much better shape than the others, except for the newly cracked wall. A dusty but still serviceable mattress lay near a small dresser, and a glassless window let inside sunlight and the morning sounds from the street below. Moving closer, Maes could see the somewhat flat tiles covering a nearby house, which made the window a perfect escape route. Taking off the rag covering the mattress he placed the still sleeping Edward on it, then he covered the teen with his lab coat. That left him with a problem - the last time he’d checked, prison uniforms made other people nervous.

Turning to the window, he spied his target strewn on a rope, merrily drying in the morning sun. It had everything he needed - _well almost_ , he realized when his empty stomach protested loudly. The smells coming from bellow told him where to look.

He picked up the door, put it on its rightful place, and then pushed the dresser to block it. With a last glance on Ed’s direction, Maes gracefully jumped out of the window, landing on the nearby roof. The hunt was on.

_The question is what should I bring back to Ed? Trousers or a dress?_

_xxx_

It was a wonderful smell that woke him up. While he slept, occasional loud noises almost pulled him back into the land of the living, but nothing had the allure of juicy spiced meat wrapped in a crunchy pastry. Which, someone was currently eating.

That made him open his eyes, and then he promptly closed them again, when even the slightest twitch made him hurt. Even his hair hurt, and for the life of him, he couldn’t remember what he did to deserve that. That had only happened once, when he and Al had pulled a rather uninspired prank on Sig, and Izumi had made sure to make them see the error of their ways. He moaned softly.

“You awake?” Someone asked after swallowing. 

_Who? Maes?_ And just like that everything came crushing back: the abduction, the experiments, the escape.

“Here, I saved a piece of pie for you. The poor thing was sitting there on a windowsill. Good thing I went by.”

Edward heard him moving closer.

“Can you at least open your eyes?” The tone was gentle with a hint of concern but answering proved quite impossible for Ed. His best choice was probably going back to sleep. Too bad, his stomach was quite vocal against it.

Maes chuckled. “Come on, Ed. You have to eat something.”

 _Yes_. He quite agreed with the statement, except he had a feeling that chewing was going to hurt too. He stood undecided until the wonderful smell of warm food came closer, spurring his stomach on a new song while saliva filled his mouth.

Once again he opened his eyes only to see Maes hovering over him.

“’mf’n. H’lpmgt ‘p” That didn’t sound Amestrian. Judging by Maes ’puzzled look, it didn’t sound like any recognizable language.

“Help. Me. Get. Up.” He enunciated painfully.

A pair of strong arms lifted him and placed him in a sitting position, his back leaning against a solid chest. It was better and worse at the same time, he felt more in control, but at the same time, there was no way he could lift, bite and chew that piece of pie the older man was holding up for him. Pride warred with his hunger, but the choice was moot when Maes tore the meal into small pieces and patiently began to feed him. Ed’s cheeks reddened, and for a moment he pursed his lips. In the end, common sense and hunger won the battle. He fervently hoped that nobody would ever, ever know about it, but the amused smirk Maes quickly hid, told Ed he’d have some serious bootlicking to do in the future.

 _Damn._ Better not comment on that, maybe Maes would forget about it. He snorted and almost choked on the food.

Stomach appeased, Ed could also tell his pain was slowly fading. Curious, he looked around, as much as his stiff neck would allow it. It was then, that Maes told him. “It’s an abandoned motel. Seems safe for now, but we’d have to contact Roy to help…”

“No.” Ed interrupted.

“Why?”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Edward.”

“Look. Inside my coat.” At Maes’ inquiring look he forced one more word. “Documents.”

All this talking was leaving him winded. They stood in silence while Maes did what he requested. A sharp intake of breath pinpointed the exact moment when the Major spotted the evidence that had left Edward feeling so betrayed.

Maes stood rooted on the spot eyeing the documents he’d spread on the floor. His mind refused to believe it, yet clear as day, Roy Mustang’s signature was on some of the files they retrieved from the research facility.


	10. Old school phones

“This is unacceptable. I want answers, and I want them now. Is that understood, Lieutenant? Dismissed.” General Hakuro said while clutching a thin report with barely veiled anger.

After the soldier closed the door, he crumpled the files in his grip, his mind already filled with plans, calculations, causes, and effects.

The main lab was destroyed, the current experiments and most of the researchers either killed, in a coma or severely injured. But the most devastating blow was the loss of the research files. The main lab with his intricate web of ancient arrays, which nobody had truly understood, had been their most secure location; all the research conducted in the other laboratories had been archived in there. All that was left was a handful of ash and some scattered files that had miraculously escaped the fire.

The incident put them behind a couple of months from the original plan. And that was simply unacceptable. They would have to act soon.

Nobody could tell who did it. The evidence pointed to the two figures the guards had spotted running, just before the largest of the explosions. From what the witnesses described, at least one of them was a chimera that had simply ignored the summons of the guards, which shouldn’t have been possible. Remembering the other improbable incident from a couple of weeks before, his eyes narrowed, and his stomach twisted with dread. They must have a traitor in their midst. But who was it? Identifying them had become almost impossible. They also had no idea how much information had been leaked out before the explosion.

The situation was slipping from his hands, and he hated the feeling. He would have to contact his associates and change their plans. But first, he had some pests he needed to kill. Focusing on that, he dialed the phone with more force than necessary while his voice regained an official tone: 

“Colonel Maybourne, send in the trackers. The targets have to be eliminated at all costs.”

xxx

“That idiot!” Gripping hard enough to rip the files to pieces, Maes said while pacing the room, his eyes never leaving the page he was reading.

Edward was getting dizzy trying to follow him. He closed his eyes until he heard Maes stop his pacing. With a rustle of clothes, The Major sat next to Ed, and spoke while looking at the opposing wall:

“I’ve known that man all my life. He’s my best friend. He may be a lazy, manipulative bastard sometimes - well, most of the time – but I know he wouldn’t do this. Not to me.” The last sentence was said so softly that Ed barely caught it.

“People change.”

“Yes, they do,” Maes eventually acknowledged. “But at least give him the chance to explain. It’s not that we can count on many others.”

“And let him say that he doesn’t read his paperwork? He’s not that stupid.” Ed said, a sneer pulling at his lips.

Maes stood up, his back on Edward as he pleaded, “Please, Edward. Trust me on this. At least, we should speak to him. Once.”

Ed bit back the rant he wanted to give, barely keeping the lid on his percolating anger. When he spoke, the words fell like a prison sentence. “Fine. But if he’s guilty I won’t forgive him.”

His hard tone made Maes apprehensive. The young alchemist had changed, in more ways than first apparent. Maes remembered the massive explosion that had helped them escape. The old Edward would have never been so cold. Then again, he had changed too. And he’d only been in that dreadful place for a week. Somewhat it felt longer, a lifetime longer.

Realizing he was getting distracted, he went to the window, “I’m going to look for a phone. I won’t be away for long. Try to get some rest.”

Maes jumped, not once looking back. Had he done it, Maes would have seen Edward looking with a curious expression in his eyes.

Landing smoothly on the flat tiles, Maes breathed in the cooling air. When nothing seemed out of place, he took off with light footsteps to a nearby fire escape. He could have jumped down, but the many passersby from the nearby streets would have made a fuss.

The irony of placing a highly illegal research laboratory on the outskirts of the capital wasn’t lost on him. And it had worked for years before they had made the mistake of kidnapping the force of nature that was Edward Elric.

The feeling of being watched snapped him back to attention. Somebody was out there looking at him, and in the mostly deserted street, he was vulnerable. He purposively relaxed his hunched shoulders and lengthened his strides. The crowd was a welcome sight; he did his best to blend in. He stopped in front of a tea shop as if admiring the cakes put on display, but his keen eyes were searching the reflection for his pursuers.

On the corner, a military man was pretending to read a newspaper. Maes hummed and entered the shop, the telephone in the back his target. He never noticed the second pair of eyes, watching him from the roof of a nearby building.

Luckily, the coat he’d snatched in the morning had come with some change. Not enough for anything on the menu offered by the pretty waitress, but it served its purpose. With a steady hand, he dialed a number he knew by heart. The telephone rang twice before it was picked up.

“Yes?” the lazy sounding voice was exactly who he was expecting, and Maes relaxed a little.

“Hey, Roy.”

“Who’s this?” Roy's voice changed, getting colder.

“It’s me. Maes.”

Silence greeted his answer and Maes frowned, not familiar with this reaction. He tried again.

“Roy?”

“I don’t know who you are, but I won’t allow you to disrespect to a dead man.”

_DEAD?!? What do you mean I’m dead?_

“No, I…” he didn’t get the chance to explain, as Roy continued with a tone cold enough to freeze boiling water. 

“This cruel joke ends now. Do it again, and I’ll be sure to find you and burn you slowly within every inch of your body.” The slam was loud enough to hurt his ears, leaving Maes to blink at the receiver he was still holding.

Alright, time for round two. But this time he would bring out the big guns. He dialed again. Five rings this time, before a very pissed off “Yes?” was heard.

“Remember November, the first?” It was all that Maes said. Once again silence descended on the other side of the conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have finally reached the moment mentioned in the summary. And look, it only took me ten chapters. :) Initially, this chapter was betaed by UraharaFangirl90 and cuylerjade.


	11. Drum roll

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Careful - Imagery that might be triggering.

_Remember? How can you not remember something, when you never had the luxury to forget it?_

Even now, years after, the dingy old room haunted his dreams, a reminder of how far he had fallen. The half empty bottle of cheap whiskey that smelled as badly as it tasted, the rotting, days old food sitting untouched on the counter, the simple black revolver in front of him, shining dully in the electric light coming from a single, anemic light bulb.

It had been the lowest point of his life, when, with a shaking hand, he had lifted the gun to his temple, and had stood there, uncertain, shallow breaths doing nothing to dispel his growing panic, only a trigger away from escaping the demons plaguing his mind. He might have even found the courage to do it if the powerful rap against the door – as loud as a gunshot – hadn’t shaken him from the self-induced hypnosis.

At that moment, when Roy had stood undecided – to open the door or to ignore it – it was Maes that had taken away his choice. Banging on the door and loudly calling the alchemist’s name, he had refused to let himself be ignored, forcing Roy to react. And that was the start which pushed him on the path that he faithfully walked from that day forward.

Weak legs no longer supporting him, Roy fell into his chair, the receiver almost falling from his slack hands. There was only one person who knew of that day, of the impact it still had on his life, and to hear it mentioned on the phone was the only evidence Roy needed.

His friend was alive.

With a shaking hand, he replaced the receiver to his ear, and with a suddenly dry mouth he uttered a disbelieving, “Maes?”

“Yes, Roy. It’s me.” A sigh could be heard from the other side.

“How…? What…?” Closing his eyes to reign in his jumbled thoughts, Roy breathed deeply and then continued. “Maes, we buried you! At least we thought we did. Gracia identified your personal effects. That’s how we knew it was you.” He was babbling. He knew he was doing it, but he didn’t care. Nothing mattered except that his best friend was alive.

The other side was silent for a moment, then, with a voice filled with longing, Maes said. “How is she? And my daughter? Please tell me they are alright.”

“She seemed to be holding on, last time I saw her, but…” Roy was somewhat unsure how to continue.

“But what? What happened?”

“She left. The day after the funeral she packed some things, took Elysia and left for Dublith. She told me not to contact her, because her cousin will take care of her. She left me a letter, but I haven’t read it yet.”

“I see.” There was some shuffling then Maes spoke again. “Maybe it’s better like this. I know she will be safe there. Things will get very ugly, soon. I can’t say more, not here. Meet me in an hour by at the old bar where we used to get drunk. Come alone, don’t be late, and try to avoid being followed.”

“Maes, wait!” but the line went dead in his hand. Roy stood there, staring at the receiver while running the conversation in his mind a couple of times. _Did I speak with Maes or was it all in my head?_ He wondered as doubts began assaulting his mind.

Many things about their talk didn’t seem right, like how little they spoke and the request to go alone in one of the seediest parts of the Capital. His instincts were telling him that yes, Maes Hughes was alive. Or maybe it was only his wishful thinking. And while he planned on going without an escort, he planned on bringing his deadliest pair of gloves, the one he used only in uncertain situations.

Mind made up, he stood up from his desk, left his office with a distracted salute to his first Lieutenant, and hurried to his car. Dismissing his designated driver, Roy took the wheel and left the courtyard in a cloud of dust, as he usually did.

He arrived five minutes early and parked the car at the corner, close enough to see the people entering the bar, but hidden so that he wouldn’t be noticed by most of them. Scanning the crowd looking for Hughes’ familiar build, he nervously tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. Maes was nowhere to be seen and recently ignored doubts began their venomous whispers. _Maybe it wasn’t Maes, and he had foolishly walked into a trap. Maybe it was all in his head, and the phone conversation never really happened. Or maybe…._

The voice from the back seat made him flinch, “Drive quickly.”

The urgency couldn’t be denied, and before he knew it, his foot had pushed the acceleration pedal into the floor, the car shooting forward like a nervous horse. He deftly bypassed another car before asking his passenger, whom he could see in the rear mirror.“Maes, what’s going on?”

“It’s complicated. I’ll tell you everything when we’ve reached our destination. But first, we have a tail that we need to shake off.”

“I haven’t seen anyone following me. How do you know?” Roy nervously looked in the mirror trying to spot any pursuers.

“Don’t look on the road; they are following us from the roofs. Turn right here.”

“What?” Roy said as he quickly steered his car into an impossibly narrow street. He could hear the sides scraping the walls and then took a sharp left turn to avoid smashing into one at full speed.

Left, right, left again, Roy lost count as he navigated the maze with speed, pulse pounding in his ears, always turning at the last possible moment according to Maes’ indications. They entered a slightly larger street at full speed when, “Slow down, we lost them.”

Obediently, Roy did just that, then relaxed his deathlike grip on the steering wheel. Seeing that they were no longer running, he risked a question.

“What is this all about?” The fading adrenaline gave place to bewilderment and not a small amount of anger. He wanted answers, and he wanted them right then, the impatience apparent in his voice.

“Roy, wait a bit more. I promise you’ll get answers, but there is yet another person you have to meet.” Maes refused to say more, except for directions where to turn, until they stopped in front of a deserted motel.

Confused Roy opened his mouth, yet before he said anything, something crashed loudly inside the building, and Maes was up and running to the front door. The alchemist quickly followed, hesitating only for a moment, when the opened doors let light spreading on the deserted street. It was alchemy.

xxx

More than twenty years of selling guns to the military had taught Charles Meridian the value of an impassible face and a rational mind. A shrewd businessman, he took only calculated risks before investing in a new deal, and the plan that was presented to him four years ago was crazy and daring enough to capture his attention, and eventually all the resources he could spare.

It was simple, really: he would provide with the ammunition and some financial resources, and in a couple of years he, along with a couple of other interested investors, would control the world. And all had gone according to his plans until an hour ago when a tensed General Hakuro had called, requesting an urgent meeting.

About what, it was never said aloud, the subject too sensitive to be spoken on the phone, but his instincts were telling him that now was time to retreat before the situation exploded in his face. And he always listened to his instincts. That’s how he was still alive after secretly selling guns to the Ishbalians during the war.

Calmly drinking his tea, his aristocratic hand resting languidly on the arm of his directorial chair, Charles evaluated the current situation. On the surface, it seemed he would lose everything that he invested so far, but the truth was that none of his associates had any idea of the labs, hidden securely in the northern mountains where handpicked scientists were starting to develop his army with the help of the research files stolen from the main research facility. Ironically, it had coincided with the escape of two of the experimental chimeras, the two parties missing each other only by minutes, and the explosion afterward had wiped out any evidence that could have pointed to him.

He hid his smirk under his stapled hands, as he planned the conversation he was going to have with the General. If he played his cards well, none of the parties involved would know that he had a hidden agenda, for wanting out of the deal at the first sign of trouble. He would let them go on with it, even if acting now would most likely doom them to failure, and in a couple of years, when everyone was lulled into a false sense of security, he would strike. If he were patient, he would be the only one to control the world. After all, he had never learned how to share — never seen the point of it.


	12. Reunion

Stretching painful muscles, Ed decided that there was no way he would go back to sleep while waiting for Maes. He eyed the heap of clothes thrown at the end of the bed, and his mood soured when he spotted a dress. How many jokes would he have to endure before people accepted the change?

Eventually, he took the large black skirt and transmuted it into a pair of pants and matching short coat, like what he used to wear. With the grace of an eighty-year-old man with arthritis, he changed out of his prison uniform. Feeling better with the return of some familiarity, he looked for something to do in the small room, ignoring the files piled on the small dresser. He knew he would have to read them, to find the clues of how he could reverse his and Maes’ condition, but the thought filled him up with dread. To read about what he had endured, written in a cold, objective language as if the subject wasn’t a feeling human being, was almost beyond what he could stomach. He would get around them eventually, but now he needed to let them be.

His attention strayed on the other pile of files he’d stolen. While at first glance it seemed that Colonel Mustang had betrayed them, he knew things were rarely as they appeared. Plus, Maes’ staunch defense had made him give the other alchemist the benefit of the doubt.

Ignoring the large signature, typical for someone with such an inflated ego, he scanned the files, reading them intently. Most were requisition orders for alchemical ingredients, some of them quite rare, nonetheless used in research. Those he could put aside with a dozen plausible explanations. However, the biggest issue was the thicker file which dealt with the possible implications of fire alchemy in chimera research. It was, as he could tell, an evaluation report – something every state alchemist had to do once a year – and from the serial number placed on it, dated just over a year ago – meaning it was delivered just before the mess created by Tucker, the Life Alchemist, and Nina’s death. The timing was too close, and the wound created by that young girl’s death still too raw, to let it go without an excellent explanation. Roy Mustang had quite a few questions to answer.

Typical for the shorter days of late autumn, night came swiftly, yet Ed continued to read, not once bothered by the dwindling daylight. Only when he finished reading the report, which was quite brilliant, he had to admit; he became aware of the strange sound that seemed to come from the roof. It sounded like claws, lightly scratching the terracotta tiles that were covering the top of the rundown building. He almost dismissed it, thinking it a cat when a similar sound came from a different location.

The fine hairs on his arms stood up. 

Quietly, he gathered the spread-out files and shoved them inside his coat before sneaking to the middle of the room while listening for anything out of place. Whatever they were, to his sensitive ears their steps were too heavy to be pets. His breathing sped up as he crouched low, palms placed securely on the floor, ready to call forth his alchemy. His entire body tensed, eyes covering every possible entry, but still, the large shadow leaping through the broken window caught him off guard. 

In an instant, alchemy-created spikes surged from the floor, narrowly missing the assailant, but deviating its course. For a second, they stood motionless, appraising each other, and Edward almost started hissing when he got a good look at it. Doglike, massive with gleaming fangs and fiery red eyes which watched him hungrily.

He was in deep shit.

The creature launched and Edward barely dodged, when a second chimera nearly bit him in half from behind. He slapped his hands on the floor and more spikes flew to the roof but missed. He turned and jumped, a hair away from disaster until the floor groaned beneath his feet. A moment later it collapsed, sending them crashing to the first floor.

Pulse pounding in his ears, he landed and rolled, plaster and broken wood falling around him. The door was almost there, when pain exploded in his back, making him stumble and fall to the ground. Something heavy was on him, and trashing weakly underneath only send more pain into the rest of his body. Sensing movement beyond his reach, he stilled, only to become more frantic when he saw them. The two unaffected chimeras approached him in slow circles. As if they reached an agreement, they jumped at the same time from two different directions. His alchemy flared a third time, and many thin spikes sprouted and impaled one of them but left a spent Edward defenseless against the other. One more leap, and it was coming directly at his head, when _Snap_ \- it burst into flames, the explosion sending it flying into a wall.

Not really understanding, Edward struggled weakly when someone lifted the weight pinning him down, and he found himself looking into Maes’ worried face.

_So strange. I see his lips moving, but I can’t make out his words._ And Edward had the strangest impulse to reach out and touch those lips to make sure they were really moving, just when his body decided that it had suffered enough. Eyes rolling to the back of his head, the young alchemist lost consciousness, never noticing the other man frozen on the scene.

“Ed! Ed, are you alright?” It was Maes’ frantic voice that snapped Roy from his immobility. Gathering his wits, the colonel took charge of the situation.

“Come on now, Maes. We have to get out of here.” He took stock of the situation and almost shuddered at the gruesome display the impaled chimera. While it could have been good evidence for an official investigation, it posed too many questions he was sure neither Maes nor Edward – _I can’t believe that he’s alive too –_ were ready to answer. Decision made, the second snap of his gloved fingers made it burst into white flames. By the time the last ember had died, nothing but few blackened bones were left behind in a devastated room.

xxx

While his driver navigated the streets of Central with practiced ease, General Hakuro, repeated in his mind the conversation he just had with one Charles Meridian, his former associate.

_How dare he retreat from the plan at this point?_ Like rats leaving a sinking ship, when there was nothing more, he despised than cowardice. Good thing he still had a few aces hidden in his sleeve, which nobody knew about.

As soon as the last shipment of guns arrived, he would start the final phase.

The time for action had arrived.


	13. The pure and simple truth

Driving carefully into the night, Roy peeked into the rear mirror on his backseat passengers: Maes was quiet, a faraway expression in his eyes, but fiercely cradling the younger alchemist in his arms and Edward was, well, unconscious. Dimly aware of the road, Roy narrowed his eyes. Something was different, a nagging in his mind about some clues that he picked up, but he had yet to make sense. It took him a moment to realize what was bothering him: their position. Not wrong, but different, more _intimate_ , for lack of a better word. And while Maes had always been protective of the two Elric brothers, the way he was now holding the younger alchemist spoke of closer, familial ties.

A bump in the road called back his attention, and Roy concentrated on the familiar motions of driving. Despite the need for answers which was eating away his dwindling patience, Roy was reluctant to disturb the heavy silence that filled the interior of the car.

Too many things happened in the last hours, and he could feel fatigue settling in like lead filling his limbs. He wasn’t at his best right now, but he knew the night was far from over.

Parking the car in front of a small house, he killed the engine but made no move to step outside. Now that they were there, a safe location he and Maes had prepared for a situation just like this, Roy was reluctant to go, instinctively knowing he won’t like what he was about to hear. Maybe it was better to leave it after a refreshing sleep. Except he hadn’t had one of those ever since this situation had begun, and he sincerely doubted he would have one tonight.

He was doing it again. Seeing no point in admiring the dashboard any longer, he left the vehicle and approached Maes who was waiting in front of the closed door. A light touch on the almost invisible circle below the doorknob and they were in, the door moving noiselessly on well-oiled hinges. One bulb flared to light when Roy pushed the switch, its light revealing a simple wooden table with a couple of chairs circling it, a worn couch, a cabinet and two doors, one leading to a small bathroom and the other to an equally tiny kitchen. While Maes gingerly placed Edward on the couch, Roy made a beeline for the kitchen counter searching for something to drink. A stubbed finger was reason enough for a string of curses, but oddly enough it was a much calmer Roy that eventually found an elusive whiskey bottle.

Resisting the impulse to take a drink directly from the bottle, something he never did, not even when drunk, he located two relatively clean glasses. Pouring a generous amount in each of them, he took them to the table where Maes sat silently.

“Here,” Maes nodded his approval and drowned half of the glass in one gulp, before grimacing at the burning sensation in his throat.

“Cheers,” Roy, took a sip too, grateful for the warming sensation that lessened the knots in his stomach, before continuing calmly. “You know, anybody else dragging me into a mess like this would have been flambé long ago.”

Maes let out a sigh, “Sorry. But I would like to wait until Edward is awake. He knows more than me anyway.”

“I’m awake,” a new voice joined the conversation.

“Good. Fullmetal will you…” he swallowed the rest of the words when he got a good look at the teen sitting upright on the couch and watching him with frosty eyes. It was Edward, but then again it wasn’t, the light gliding on golden locks and small shoulders dressed in black, made some changes visible, no matter how impossible they should have been.

“Fullmetal?”

“Yes?”

 _Even his voice is different._ Roy tried again.

“Edward?”

“Yes.” Ed sent him a strange look.

“Edward Elric?”

“Yes, dammit. What’s wrong with you, bastard?”

“Ed?” with a growl Ed launched himself up, only Maes hand on his shoulder keeping him from jumping across the table.

“Ed, I think you broke him.” It was Maes amusement that calmed Ed enough to take back his seat, but also gave Roy the time to gather his scattered wits.

 _It is him. But how can it be possible? I’ve never heard of anything like this before._ Roy studied the younger alchemist intently, before asking him the most urgent question in his mind.

“Fullmetal, did you somewhat get shorter?” 

“WHAT???”

The banter was familiar territory, something Roy desperately needed and seeing Edward reddening with anger was a welcomed sight. His next replica already on his lips, he waited for the inevitable explosion.

It never came.

With an effort of titanic proportions, Edward managed to subdue his temper, then he said, punctuating every word. “I know what you’re doing, bastard, and I’m not playing your games anymore. Now answer this.” With furious hands, he yanked open his coat and then slammed s few crumpled files and papers on the table. Having done that, he retreated to his chair where he sat arms akimbo and said nothing else.

Intrigued but wary, Roy hovered a second before gathering the papers. His eyebrows climbed almost to his hairline when he picked them up and saw they were only requisition orders. Yes, signed by him, but hardly something that would justify the death glares coming from across the table.

“I’m not sure what your problem is.” His puzzlement was deemed genuine enough by the other party, as evident by the lessening of Edward’s shoulders.

“Why is your signature on those documents?”

Roy glanced at Maes, searching for a clue of what they wanted to know, but for once his friend's face was unreadable.

“As a high-ranking alchemist, I sometimes receive the paperwork regarding the request for supplies coming from the State Laboratories; you know that. It’s up to me to decide whether their requests have the grounds to be accepted or denied, and twice a year I receive a report detailing their activity and the reasons why they need more supplies than initially given. This request here,” he said gesturing to one of the papers, “usually comes from the eastern laboratory. They never have enough gold for their experiments regarding electricity, but such a precious metal must be carefully monitored.”

“Electricity experiments? That’s what they say they’re doing?” the mocking tone Ed used was grating on Roy’s nerves. But he would not be less mature than a thirteen years old shrimp, so he swallowed his increasing anger and continued with his explanation.

“Yes. According to the reports I’ve received. Reports that I may add are already verified by a dozen people before they reach my desk.”

“That doesn’t necessarily make them real.”

“Just what is that you’re implying?” He knew exactly what Ed was saying, but the thought was too chilling to be had for more than just a split second. With a slightly shaking hand, he raised the half-full glass to his lips.

“What do you know of chimera research?” the whiskey went down the wrong pipe, leaving Roy coughing and gasping for breath.

“Why is that relevant?”

“Roy, just answer the question.” Maes’ intervention left Roy feeling oddly betrayed.

“Just what was knowledge after the Tucker case. Why?”

“Then what about this?” Edward forcefully pushed a folder across the table, and Roy had to catch it before it felt on the floor. Blood draining from his face after seeing the title, he asked in a hoarse whisper.

“Where did you get this?”

“Feeling guilty?”

Roy had enough.

“Dammit, Edward! This is classified information. Not even I have access to it, after handing it down to the archive, unless given special permission by at General, at least. Where did you get this?”

“A lab. An illegal one, or so I’ve thought. Where I’ve been for the last three months.” Edward sounded almost clinical, the only evidence of his inner turmoil being his painfully clenched fists. “So, how much do you know about chimera research?” he continued never giving Roy the opportunity to answer. ”Did you know what was Tucker doing? What did he do to his wife? What he planned for Nina?” by now he was shouting.

“Fullmetal, no! I didn’t know. There were rumors, but nobody truly believed them.”

“Rumors? And nobody investigated them? How could you? How could you place Al and me there, knowing that? How could you expose my little brother to that?”

“Ed, enough! Calm down!” Both hands on his shoulders, Maes physically restrained the young alchemist while frowning to Roy. He had mostly refrained from speaking until now, refusing to add to the mounting tension. 

“You can let me go now.” Ed stopped his struggles, but his glare didn’t lessen.

Lying wouldn’t work, Roy mussed looking at the enraged teen, but he knew the truth wouldn’t endear him to them either. It was still his safest bet.

“It was a direct order. Someone I couldn’t refuse.”

“You. Fucking. Coward.” With that last statement, Ed rose from his chair, avoided Maes outstretched hand and stormed into the nearest room, slamming the door behind him.

 _That went well,_ Roy thoughts unconsciously mirrored those of Maes.

“So. Roy. Are there any other direct orders I should know about?” Defeated, Roy made himself comfortable on the wooden chair and glanced upwards as if searching for divine intervention. Seeing that none was forthcoming, he let out a sigh before finally asking a question of his own.

“So. Maes. Want to tell me why where you almost killed for a couple of worthless personnel files?”

As Maes started telling his story, in the small bathroom, Edward leaned against the door, before sliding down to a cross-legged position. He was so angry, at his commanding officer, for using him and his little brother in one of his schemes, but mostly at himself. Angry for losing his temper, after feeling so mature when he ignored the jibes about his height. It was easier to get angry; it meant he would carry on, instead of letting the ever-present guilt overpower him — the guilt for what he did and for dragging Al in the middle of it.

Ed scrunched his eyes and hid his head beneath his arms.

Alphonse Elric, his little brother, his weak spot and the powerful remainder of his greater sin. The innocent kid who loved playing with cats, who always smiled and had a crush on Winry, the neighbors’ daughter. The one he should have never been part of the mess that was their mother failed resurrection.

But first, he had to make through the latest situation. Banging his head softly on the wooden door, he listened on the conversation going in the other room, his gaze gliding over broken tiles before resting on the visible yellow moon illuminating the bathroom from an overhead window. The too loud shout of “ **Chimera?”** from the other side of the door made him wince, and he knew he would have to get back there soon for another round of questions. So, he was not surprised when soft footsteps stopped near him, and a calm voice asked him if he could return to the room.

_Sure, I’d love to. Why don’t you prepare me a glass of milk to go down with it?_

Well, sarcasm was lovely and all, but he still had to move his butt from the comfortable floor. Letting out a sigh, he decided to take the proverbial bull by his horns and hoisted his body up from his sitting position. He reached for the doorknob when with the corner of his eyes he caught a glimpse of himself in the uneven mirror placed above the sink.

He stopped, transfixed as the figure in the mirror instantly copied him and had to bite down an almost hysterical giggle. His eyes were huge on his pale and thin face, glowing faintly with the light of the moon, like those of a cat. He raised his hand to his face, his mind needing the physical proof provided by touch and Ed watched his hand, his pale _flesh right hand_ , softly caressing his cracked lips. The touch was light, yet he flinched as if struck at the contact. He didn’t know how long he stood there like an idiot, gazing at his reflection until an impatient rap against the door woke him from his stupor.

Closing his eyes and blocking the haunting vision of himself from his sight, if not his mind, he turned around and firmly opened the door. The first thing he saw was Maes worried frown, and Ed drew strength from it, before turning to face the Colonel. The man locked a wreck, his uniform wrinkled, and his hair disheveled as if he had run his hands through it too many times, while the bags beneath his eyes were impossible to miss. He looked older and worn out, but his gaze was sharp and entirely focused on Edward, scanning him from head to toe. A short gasp was the only visible reaction when Roy noted the flesh hand, but no word was uttered. Quirking one eyebrow at the reaction, Ed silently took his former seat, refusing to be the first to speak.

“Is it true? Are you a chimera?”

_No more games tonight, then._

“Yes.”

“But…you look completely human.” Roy eyes flickered in Maes’ direction, “Him too?”

“Roy, I’ve just told you that I’ve jumped over an eight feet fence while carrying Edward. Could I do that, normally?”

“No. I guess not. But this, this complicates things. The military must not know about you. The research that Tucker conducted is officially considered the most advanced on this topic.” They all knew what that meant, and Edward winced while thinking of more labs and more tests. That, if he was lucky.

_Never again._

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that” Maes said. “It was somebody from the military behind it. Somebody from the brass.”

“What evidence do you have? If I go to the Fuhrer with it, I must convince the man without bringing your condition. Of course, it will be tough to explain Edward as it is.” Glancing at the teen, Roy added softly “I don’t think you’ll get your watch back.”

Had Roy punched him hard in the stomach, Edward wouldn’t have felt like this. Not a State Alchemist? No, that couldn’t be true. What was left for him if that too was taken away? How could he bring Al’ body back if he lost his research sources and the leads to the Philosophical Stone? He would not accept it — but, every protest he wanted to say died before leaving his lips.

He had never really considered the situation in its finer points, his only concern being the acceptance or rejection from those who knew him. But the military was a different matter altogether.

Head bowed down and fists clenched so tightly that the knuckles had turned white, Edward was the picture of despair, and Roy felt terrible for his remark. Just another regret to add to his ever-growing list, but that needed to be said. Only after acknowledging that problem, they could think of a solution, and he will do his best to find one. If he wanted back the trust of the two people sitting at the table, he would need to prove himself to them. But first, he had yet to receive the answer to his question.

“You asked me what evidence I have.” Maes took control of the conversation before it was further derailed into more dangerous waters. He put a reassuring arm around the silent alchemist, “Ed, we’ll think of something. I’m not letting those bastards control my life, or yours, more than they did so far.” It was what Ed needed to hear, and with a small nod in Maes direction he raised his head, but he refused to meet anyone’s gaze. Luckily for him, Maes continued with the explanations.

“I don’t have any direct evidence, but enough circumstantial ones to start an inquiry. I guess that’s what got me in the position that I’m now. And it’s also where the personnel files come into play.” He stopped, took a sip from his glass and then asked a seemly unrelated question:

“Did you know that for a country at peace, the military loses 200 men and women every year?”

xxx

Riza Hawkeye surveyed the street, but nothing seemed out of place, except for the Colonel’s missing car. Following her instinct, after the alchemist's hasty retreat from the office, she decided to pay him a visit at the end of the program. Now, several hours later and no Colonel Mustang in sight she began to question her judgment. For all, she knew the man was likely enjoying the night with a beautiful woman, her mind supplied helpfully, while she was sitting like an idiot in front of his house.

She needed more sleep, the death of Maes having affected her as well, yet there was a nagging feeling that something wasn’t right.

 _Fine,_ she would wait for another half an hour before going to the dorm and catching up on her missed sleep.

With her back on the wall of a tall house, surrounded by the shadows she was nearly invisible, so it didn’t surprise her that the figure silently approaching the entrance of the Colonel’s house didn’t spot her. It wasn’t Mustang, the man moving far too quietly. Like a beast on the prowl and Riza shivered, remembering a hunt, long ago, for a big cat that had turned man-eater.

The figure stopped in front of the door and then started fiddling with the lock. A click, several seconds later and he, for Riza was sure it was a man, was in.

Cocking her gun with an almost inaudible click, she approached the house and cautiously opened the door. Her hand went for the switch, preparing to light the room when an inhuman growl sounded from her right.


	14. Is never pure

Leaning against the outside wall, Riza clutched her gun near her face. She controlled her breathing, eyes alert and fingers ready. Ignoring her hurting right side, she looked around the corner, but the street was empty. Annoyance surged, even as she lightly stepped into the alley.

She’d been careless, and the slash across her stomach was the result. But she’d put two bullets into the creature waiting inside the colonel’s house, and she wanted to deliver a final third.

With battle-honed instincts fully awake, Riza slid from shadow to shadow, alert for any sudden moves. There! It moved faster than she could point her gun, but the ground had fresh blood on it.

She was angry, she was tired, and reason told her she should have called for reinforcements, instead of running into the night, but just when she started to turn, the hair on her nape stood up. She threw herself on the side, rolled over, and, in one fluid movement, pointed her gun and fired twice in the direction she had been only a second ago.

Riza stood, gun gripped with firm hands, but the body pinned to the wall by the shot was slowly sliding down, a blood stain darkening the paint. She had nailed it mid-leap, talons ready to tear up her back. Her bullet to the head had killed it instantly, leaving behind a repulsive sight and faintly twitching limbs.

She watched it apprehensively, the adrenaline pumping in her veins and making her jump whenever there was a more visible twitch. They stopped soon, and only then she approached it with caution. Crouching low, she examined the deadly looking talons and with the tip of her gun moved the head to one side, wincing when she saw the entry wound. Half the face was gone, but enough was left for the victim to be identified. Riza swallowed back the bile flooding her mouth and took a deep breath to steady herself. It was a mistake, the smell of blood and other fluids invading her nose. Feeling a bit faint, she stood up and took a few steps away from the corpse.

She needed to call the Headquarters and announce it. Almost against her will, she looked back at the ruined face staring back with one good eye, and that’s when her tired brain made the connection.

She knew that face; she’d seen the man a couple of times when she went to the Archive Department. Second Lieutenant Reznik, who was quiet but always knew what file she needed. 

_What the hell is going on?_ Her mind kept asking while she made her way to Mustang's house on unsteady legs, to finally call for assistance.

xxx

“Two hundred people a year, Roy! Thirty of which send on assignments from which they never return to their original department, only to appear months later in a different post with all their paperwork in order,” Maes said, even as Roy shook his head in denial. He had stood up and went to the cabinet for a refill, but he had yet to grab the bottle.

“You want me to believe that in the last…”

“Five.”

“…five years, more than a hundred people have disappeared for months, then reported for duty, and nobody asked about it?” Edward asked with growing disbelief, the same thing the colonel was wondering. “What kind of half-baked crazy organization is the Military anyway? And to think that you,” he pointed to the Colonel frozen by the kitchen counter, “made me gave you a report for every tiny thing I've destroyed in my missions.”

“Shut up, Edward; this is not the time for that.” The annoyance in Roy's tone was sharp enough to earn him a poisonous glare to the back of his head, but the teen wisely closed his mouth and then folded his arms over his chest. Roy moved the drink he’d just poured to his lips, then thought better and just held it. Perhaps, a clear mind would be better, even if he longed for a few hours of unconsciousness. 

Still, Edward had a point, _What the hell was the brass doing?_ Narrowing his eyes in thought, he asked. “Did all the transfer orders come from the same bureau?”

“Most of them, yes. Signed by General Hakuro, I might add.” Maes was smirking, and that was when Roy knew he had his proof. The evidence he needed to go in front of the Fuhrer - enough to start an inquiry, without directly involving Maes or Edward.

Still, what had happened to all those people? The image wasn't looking pretty. “The transfers. In what departments were they?”

“Every department. No alchemists, though. Until now,” Maes said.

Roy’s thoughts came to a halt, even as his steps brought him back to the table. The chair creaked under his tired weight. “Do you know what was done to them?”

At that, both Maes and Edward locked gazes, a silent conversation going on between them, before Edward answered, “I…we think they were all turned into chimeras. And when their training was complete, they were released to their posts. Trained pets, waiting for a signal from their master.”

The puzzle was almost complete, and the picture was horrifying. Someone had moved with a painstaking effort for the last five years to infiltrate the Military, and the overtake it in one carefully planned scoop.

Roy suddenly had the urge to drink something much stronger than the cheap whiskey currently in his glass, while pondering all the revelations from the last twenty-four hours. He needed some sleep badly, his mind overflowing, but something Edward had said kept nagging at him.

“Signal?”

To succeed, they would need a coordinated and synchronized attack from all the infiltrated moles, otherwise, after a few first casualties, the much numerous Military personnel, and especially the alchemist would take them down. No signal or code he knew could be delivered instantly to all involved without alerting the other party that something was happening.

He could tell that Maes had come to the same conclusion, while Edward seemed to get smaller in his seat, his shoulders hunched forward. With a low voice, that Roy could barely hear, he added, “A dog whistle.” Then he refused to say anything else, no matter how much Roy insisted.

The sky was turning pink at the horizon, and there was a chill in the air that spoke of impending snow when Roy drove away from the hideout. The Colonel had looked like death warmed over, but he was the only one who could move freely, and by hushed conference, he and Maes had decided that it was better if he went to the office as if nothing had happened.

A coat wrapped all around him, Edward had curled up in a corner and had pretended to sleep throughout it, only to doze when the quiet became too much. He slept fitfully, just to wake to a throbbing headache and a growling stomach. By the time he woke up, Maes had the files spread all over the table and was quietly reading.

xxx

“Stop fidgeting, Edward.” Maes said, without lifting his eyes from the thick report in his lap, “This would go a lot faster with your help, you know?”

“I don’t need to read it. I was there.” Ed snapped, his body vibrating with poorly suppressed tension. The chair groaned beneath him as he moved around. He gripped his hands to stop his restless fingers, but then his foot started tapping on the floor.

“Stop that.” Maes sighed, then marked his place in the report with a slip of paper. He gave his whole attention to the distressed teen.

Ed straightened up from his slouching and then addressed his biggest worry. “We should have gone with the bastard.”

“How? You’re missing in action, and I’m dead. Plus, we don’t know how many chimeras are in Central, or their abilities. The smartest thing right now is to lie low and let the Colonel handle it. Among us, he is the only one who hasn’t been captured.”

“Yet. The bastard is too smug for his good.”

“And that’s exactly why he has his team with him. They will keep a sharp eye on him.” As he spoke, Maes realized that he was also trying to reassure himself. He stopped before his voice betrayed him.

The words seemed to have the desired effect, as Ed relaxed a bit. Then, after a few moments, he said, “I’m hungry.”

Thrown a little by the lack of protests and the completely unrelated, albeit logical statement, Maes watched the teen with suspicion. Ed’s face was far too innocent for his peace of mind.

“Check the cupboards. See if you can find something there.”

“Already did that.” With barely concealed smugness, Ed jumped off his chair and went to the cabinet to prove his point. “There nothing in there. But, I can drink the day away.” He grabbed the opened bottle of whiskey.

Moving fast enough to look like he suddenly materialized, Maes grabbed the bottle of alcohol and locked it in the cupboard slamming the door closed. He then took Ed by his shoulders and forcefully marched him back in the room.

“You’ve made your point. Sit here and don’t move. There’s a small store downtown from where I can buy some food. Try to read something and please don’t do anything reckless in the half of the hour I will be gone.” He then took his coat, and after giving Ed’s a heavy glare, he stepped out of the house.

Had he looked back to see Edward smiling, he would have returned that instant. The teen sat, listening to the departing footsteps and when he judged the other man a reasonable distance away, he stretched like a cat before heading to the bathroom. The window there, while small enough not to allow a fully-grown man, posed no problem to him. Pointedly ignoring that he'd just thought small was good, Ed climbed the wall and then shimmied through the open hatch. 

Landing lightly on the ground, he dusted himself up and then looked around gouging his position. Maes was still visible on his left, a speck going fast in the direction of a few houses, so the logical choice was going in the opposite direction. After he got into town, Ed reasoned that finding the Central Headquarters will be a piece of cake. Getting inside the building would require a plan and some luck, but that was a worry for the future him, Ed decided, and then he broke into a light run.

In the empty house, the landline hidden by the cabinet rang for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the worrying tendency to slow my writing with too much exposition and passive actions. The initial chapters were more problematic than I remembered, and after a few cuts, these are the scenes that remained. Still, this is a slower, filler-ish chapter. The action will pick up, soon enough!


	15. And rarely simple

“Colonel, what are you implying?” The Fuhrer stood ramrod straight at his desk, his earlier smile nowhere to be seen.

Roy responded with outward calm: “The reports speak for themselves. All I’m asking is for an investigation to be started on the matter.”

“Led by you?” For a brief moment, the Fuhrer sounded vaguely amused, before returning to his grave countenance.

“I’d be honored to assist in any position.” Roy relaxed his stiff shoulders. At least the Fuhrer seemed open to discussion. That was a good sign. Still, he shouldn’t appear too eager, or they would completely cut him out from it. Too many from the old guard knew of his ambition and being in charge of the investigation would fast-forward his career. They wouldn’t allow it. But he had to be there, so he considered his next words: “However, I think somebody with more experience needs to handle it.”

Under the Fuhrer’s piercing gaze, Roy felt more exposed than ever before. For a moment he had the feeling the Fuhrer was reading his mind, so he schooled his expression back into the impassive mask he was known for. The encounter was turning more unnerving than he had thought possible. Being so very tired didn’t help him either. Sweat gathered at his brow while Roy waited for his Superior’s decision.

“Accusations this wild could get you to court marshaled. But,” the Fuhrer added when he saw the Colonel ready to answer, “the information from those personnel files comes to sustain several other reports I have about some missing weapons. Therefore, I’m authorizing this investigation, and I’m putting General Raven in charge of it. For any other information you might have, you’ll have to report to him. Dismissed.”

“Thank you, sir.” A quick salute and Roy strode out of the office, his mind already going on the different data he had on Raven.

Alone in his office, the Fuhrer buzzed his secretary. “Carmichael send for General Hakuro. There are some things I want to discuss with him. Tell him it’s urgent.”

xxx

A quick knock and the door to General Hakuro’s office was opened without waiting for a reply. Through it, a nondescript Lieutenant entered the room. Clad in the usual blue garb, he was no different from the other hundreds of military men currently inside the Headquarters. Walking with measured steps, he stopped in front of the desk and there waited for the General to acknowledge his presence. 

“What is it?” General Hakuro didn’t lift his eyes from the file he was reading as he asked the intruder.

“The Fuhrer would like to see you, sir. It’s urgent.”

The General stopped his reading, then in a calm manner gathered the files and put them on the edge of his desk. Only then did he raise his head, silently asking for more information. The Lieutenant was quick to comply.

“He received a visit this morning from Colonel Mustang. Something about personnel files and irregular transfers. But he was already on edge because of an earlier phone call from someone called Meridian, regarding missing weapons.”

The General palled. “And he wants to ask me about them,” he mused, ignoring the other man’s presence. Someone, most likely Mustang, knew or suspected about the Plan, and somehow, he had gathered enough evidence to present his case to the Fuhrer. And now he was politely asked to go into the lion’s den to answer some questions. Things were once again spiraling out of control, and in the past months, he had learned to hate the feeling. He narrowed his eyes in contemplation when the sound of the telephone broke him out of his thoughts.

“Yes,” he bit out.

“Sir, this is Colonel Mayborne. Everything is ready, and the men are in position. What are your orders?”

The news brought him the first small smile in many days. “Be ready to attack. Wait for my signal.” He put down the receiver with a loud “ding” and then turned to the silent observer still in his office.

“Go back to your post. I will arrive shortly to speak with the Fuhrer. Wait five minutes from my arrival, give the code to Colonel Maybourne, and then step inside the office. You know what to do.”

The Lieutenant saluted, turned around, and went to the door. Before stepping in the hall, he slowed down, enough to catch the General’s parting words. “And Carmichael? Good job.” With a small nod, he was gone, leaving the General alone.

It was finally happening. With purpose in his stride, the General walked the hall and, never faltering, entered the Fuhrer’s office.

xxx

 _That wasn't so hard,_ thought Ed while sneaking away inside the Headquarters. Climbing the wall had been a piece of cake, and luckily for him, the soldiers standing guard fifty feet away were less than alert.

Looking at his new metal armband – courtesy of a steel pipe he borrowed on his way here - he snorted quietly at the irony. He had hated his metal arm, but it had been quite useful in a fight, something he was missing right now. 

He pressed his finger on it and watched as it turned smoothly into a shiny blade connected to an iron glove encasing his palm. Another press of a finger later turned it back into a dull and heavy bracelet hanging around his wrist. He was ready.

It was then when the speakers in the hall became alive with the crackling sound that signaled the beginning of a transmission. For a minute nothing came through, and he almost dismissed it as unimportant when suddenly a very annoying sound send him to his knees, his palm covering his ears, and eyes shut in reflex. A sequel of high-pitched repetitive sounds soon followed and then silence, leaving him nauseous, disoriented and somewhat detached from the whole experience. He tried to open his eyes and get up, but his body refused to move.

_What the hell?_

The sensation was disturbingly familiar, even though he tried hard to forget it, so he mentally increased his struggles. Disbelief gave place to panic mingled with anger when his limbs refused to listen.

_No, no, no, no! Not again!_

And then the headache started. He paid no attention to it, too focused on his physical problem, but with the ache, something else made its presence known - something savage and primal, an entity that had appeared in his mind three months ago, that he had always successfully ignored. Or so he thought. 

But now he could no longer do that, as the alien presence rapidly invaded his consciousness, forcing him, despite his growing frustration, to retreat step by step into the confines of his mind. He fought with it all the way, desperately trying to regain control of himself, but it was too strong to resist, and with a mental scream of anguish coupled with a splintering pain Edward Elric was forced back, his body and mind no longer his.

The instant the young Chimera opened her eyes; there was nothing human in her gaze.

She stood up with fluid grace, delicately sniffing the air around her.

 _Prey_. It was all around her. Two-legged prey so easily killed. A slightly pointed tooth glinted in a feline smirk. Adrenaline coursed through her body, heightening her senses and muscles rippled beneath smooth skin. Yes, she was ready to hunt. So, she took a step down the hall.

But something was missing. True, prey was abundant, but something stopped her from pursuing it. They were not _her_ prey.

Flashes in her mind came with the memory of a smell she had been trained to recognize anytime: spicy, with a hint of ash, gunpowder and something woodsy — a male scent. Unbidden the image of a dark-haired man with slanted onyx eyes came forth. And one command: _Kill him!_

Xxx

Pacing back and forth in his office Mustang tried to ignore the rising dread that was slowly crushing his chest. With Hawkeye at the hospital, the office felt off-kilter. Even the phone didn't connect. He’d tried to call Maes before going to see the Fuhrer, to tell him about the attack on his house, but the call had gone unanswered. They were running out of time and options and the need to do something, anything, to stop what was to come made him restless.

_Calm. I need to calm down and think about things._

Too bad that right now he couldn’t concentrate on anything. _God_ , he wished Maes was there so they could think of a plan. The telephone rang, making him jump.

“Yes, Mustang here.”

“Roy, we have a problem. Ed’s missing.” The urgency in Maes’ voice spoke volumes of how worried the older man was. “I think he’s heading for the Headquarters.”

“I understand. I’ll go searching for him right now.” He put the receiver down while silently berating the brat for having no common sense. But at least now he had something to do. Anything was better than worrying.

He stepped outside his office and went for the common hall when the speakers placed on regular intervals all over the building came alive with crackling sounds. And then there was silence. He paused in the hallway. He wasn’t the only one; soldiers all around him stopped from their daily activities waiting for the transmission that didn’t seem to come. Most of them carried puzzled expressions after a minute of waiting, and some of them returned to their tasks when a shout and the sound of the shooting came from one of the offices.

Then all hell broke loose, and it caught Roy Mustang right in the middle of it.

xxx

 _That was disappointingly easy,_ General Hakuro thought, looking down on the fallen body of the former Fuhrer.

Everything happened very fast: interrupting a tense conversation, Carmichael had entered the room right after the crackling sounds coming from the speaker attached to the corner of the office had stopped. And then, without warning, he had taken his service gun from its holster and shot the Fuhrer in the chest.

No passionate speeches, just a bullet that went straight to the heart. Even the Fuhrer hadn’t even bothered to evade it. 

And now it was over.

 _Well, not entirely,_ as the building around him came alive with the sounds of shooting, screams coming from the dying victims, animalistic snarls and howls from their attackers, shouted commands and the unmistakable light of alchemical reactions. Yes, out there was hell, but here, in the office, the General impassively over the body of his former leader.

He then turned around to his subordinate.

“Contact Colonel Maybourne. All the resistance must be dealt with quickly. Take no prisoners.”

“Yes, sir.” And the former secretary went outside to carry out the orders.

Without a glance, the General soon followed secure on his knowledge that everything was going according to his Plan.

Behind him, the form of King Bradley opened his eyes and silently rose from his fallen position. With a finger he touched the hole left by the bullet that should have ended his life, a slow smile adorning his face. Walking to his desk, he picked up the phone and spoke right the moment the other receiver was taken of the hook, never waiting for an answer.

“The enemy is on the move. Your prime target is General Hakuro. Attack everyone who opposes.” 

Ending the conversation, he went to the wall where his prized sword was resting. He took it in his hand and unsheathed it in a fluid motion and, turning to the door, left in the direction from where the closest sounds of battle were coming.

Yes; spilling some weak, human blood was exactly what he needed.


	16. Those who part, must come togheter

His fingers were growing numb from the constant snapping. It was an unwelcome sensation that brought back memories from times better left forgotten, that Roy had half expected dark-skinned men with crimson eyes to come attacking instead of the familiar blue uniforms. His stomach recoiled every time he saw the claws, the fangs and sometimes the fur, but mostly the chilled expression that had replaced anything resembling humanity from their gaze. But to protect himself and the soldiers that had gathered under his command from several destroyed offices, he didn’t hesitate.

_‘Snap,’_ and with a howl another chimera went down in a blaze, behind it, its victim barely recognizable. Roy didn’t have to go closer to know it was probably an officer. They seemed to be the primal targets of the attacks, with the chimeras into a take no prisoners mindset.

He signaled one of the soldiers following him to take the lead, the hallway splitting in two. He drew closer to the right wall, body tense while he listened for any movement when with a loud _Bang_ a bullet embedded in the wall beside his head. He fell on his knee, his snap immediate, but just as the human howl made him flinch, a shower of bullets rained down on where he was hiding, hitting the wall and some of the men behind him that had responded with the fire of their own. The attacker had not been alone.

“Retreat!” he ordered, knowing the path before him was closed, when with a groan the wall in front of him broke and shifted, creating a barrier between him and his attackers.

Lowering the arm, he’d used to shield his face; he almost snapped on reflex seeing the hulking shadow coming from the newly created hall if it hadn’t boomed in a familiar tone, “Colonel! Over here!” And Major Armstrong stepped out from the newly created hole, Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc at his heel.

Roy felt his stomach unclench. Gathering himself from the ground, he made his way to the two men, followed closely by a few soldiers, some of them carrying their wounded companions. “Havoc, report. What’s the status?” His voice was firm, none of the turmoil inside showing in it.

“Chaos, sir. Most died in the first moments of the attack. Chimeras did them, but some were killed in the confusion. People are scared, not knowing who to trust.” Havoc spoke in a hurried tone, almost running after his fast walking officer. They were following the direct path to the courtyard created by The Strong-Arm Alchemist through walls, and for once the big man worked in silence, none of his usual sparkles visible.

All around the sounds of people fighting and dying created a picture of war all of them could have lived without. They were soldiers, that was true, but Roy could see in the young faces of those trailing behind him, that this day would leave permanent scars.

_And Edward is out there._

Gathering his derailing thoughts, he paid attention to his speaking subordinate.

“Things would have been worse, sir,” Havoc continued, “if the alchemists hadn’t attacked back. Their ranks were the only ones not infiltrated.”

“That was a grave miscalculation in their part, but it means that we still have a chance.” Roy felt a sliver of hope at the thought. “Major Armstrong. How many Alchemists are in Headquarters right now?”

“Twenty, sir, not including us.” Louis Armstrong responded then he punched the wall in front of him into rubble and cleared the way to the courtyard. Only to duck when guns started firing at them from a group of soldiers dressed in black uniforms.

With a snap, Roy created a wall of flames, ready to call for a retreat, when above the shooting a shouted command of “Ceasefire” was heard.

In the silence that followed both groups stood tense, when out of the cluster of black uniforms the Fuhrer appeared. **“** Colonel Mustang **.** I’m glad to see that you’re still alive. **”**

xxx

The smells were almost too much for her sensitive nose, and the sounds were hurting her ears. Still, she stalked her prey. The man was never alone, others always around him: to attack him now would be suicide.

She hid in the shadow of a partially crumbled wall, then softly growled when more people joined his group.

They were outside, speaking, but she couldn’t understand. Then one of them, who looked like a man, but wasn’t appeared and took control of the situation. Something about him didn’t smell right, her instincts screaming at her to get as far as possible from him.

Bloodlust battled with survival instinct. She didn’t dare approach her prey while the other was around, and that pissed her off. But stalking was what she knew. Sooner or later her quarry – _the Bastard Colonel –_ a faint voice whispered in her mind, would be alone.

And then she would strike.

xxx

_“BOOM!”_ The explosion sent rubble and dust over his head, and Roy pondered the wisdom of his choices for the umpteenth time. Going back inside the Headquarters with the Fuhrer’s elite fighting team had sounded like a good plan. He still had a wayward teen to find and get to a safe location, where said brat would receive the chewing of a lifetime.

They had to get out of there fast, Roy knew by watching the supporting walls and the cracked ceiling, but the group they faced put out a fierce resistance, no matter how many were killed in the crossfire.

“Colonel Archer, we need to get out. The ceiling is about to collapse,” Roy shouted, trying to make himself heard over the gunshots by the team leader, but the man acted as if he didn’t hear him. For the first time since re-entering the Headquarters the Fuhrer’s team had lost people, and the Alchemist could see the rage etched on the Colonel’s face.

_Snap,_ and with a pained yell another soldier went down in flames, but immediately a comrade took his place, the shooting barely easing, almost nobody paying attention to the cracks quickly spreading in the walls. When only a few moments later…

_“BOOM!”_

And the massive explosion shook the floors with a ton of rubble that came down from crumbling walls, engulfing attackers and defenders alike in a dusty coffin.

As Roy dove for a small opening in the wall to his left that seemed to remain in place miraculously, one thought kept going on his mind like a broken record. _Sometimes, I really hate it when I’m right._

Coughing away the dust coating his mouth Roy tried to open his eyes. His right eyelid refused to move, not that his other eye was much help in identifying his surroundings. He was on his belly, in an unknown location, in complete darkness. Wonderful.

Roy moved his hand with a groan, barely suppressing a yelp when pain shot up in his elbow. He hoped it was from his earlier uncomfortable position. Roy touched his face and was not surprised to feel blood staining half of it, and most likely the cause of his shut eye — a scalp wound - terribly messy, but not life-threatening. Wriggling a little, he cataloged his pains and pins only to discover he had been fortunate. Sure, some pulled muscles here and there, his left ankle was sprained, and he probably cracked a rib or two, but he would live.

And if his nose was to be trusted, fresh air was coming from somewhere on his left. Moving around blindly he patted the rubble around him, hoisting his body nearer to where he could fell the current. The hole he was tracing with his fingers seemed large enough to let him pass. Hoping that he wasn’t making a mistake, Roy began his slow and painful trek out of his dark shelter.

What seemed like hours later he was still crawling, sheer will sending him forward as his shoulders and arms sent jolts of searing pain with every move, while his fingers were already numb. Even worse it was the itch, where dried blood had blocked his eye.

So caught up was he in his repetitive misery that the steadily increasing light was dismissed as a figment of his imagination. Only when his head bumped into a wall did Roy stop.

And blinked.

And he blinked again when he noticed that he could see his surroundings, a bright dot of light right above him. Hope surged in his chest, and with a tired hand, he knocked on the wall separating him from his freedom, trying to gauge its thickness. 

Not too thick, but still solidly in place. That was good news; the probability that behind that wall was a still functional room, or better yet the courtyard, increasing tenfold.

Searching his memory for the appropriate alchemical array, one that would create an opening large enough for him to crawl outside but at the same time support the wall from crumbling in his head, the Roy drew blindly with a shaking hand.

With a deep breath to ready himself, as deep as his compressed lungs allowed, he chased away the doubt from his mind and, placing his hand on the array, called forward his innate gift. A wave of energy surged through him, gathered in his palms, and spread on the design, lighting it.

The effect was immediate, the wall in front of him melting away, yet nothing came tumbling down. Letting out the breath he’d been holding, he gathered his remaining force and pushed himself through it, not stopping until his entire body was out.

There, on the cold floor of an empty and slightly destroyed room, he turned on his back and stood for a long moment before catching his breath, which was coming in short gasps.

Cold seeped into his clothes, waking him from his drowsiness, and in an act of pure willpower, he tapped into his last energy reserve trying to get up. Abused muscles screamed in protest, but he ignored them, and after a struggle, he was once again upright. A wave of dizziness swept over him, and he had to steady himself on the nearby wall, but after a few deep breaths his vision cleared, and he was conscious enough to start analyzing what he was seeing.

Not the courtyard _,_ but a room. The dimming light coming from cracked windows cast grey shadows on the damaged furniture and the shut door, which was still standing. As far as he could tell, it was impossible for him to find out whether the was in the Eastern or the Western Wing, both were rather symmetrical and had no distinctive features, but once in the hall, Roy was sure he could find his way outside.

With shaking fingers, he tore off his destroyed gloves and took out the spare he always hid in his jacket’s inner pocket. He didn’t trust the silence surrounding him, and he had no idea of who had won the battle.

More confident now that he was armed, he took a tentative step towards the door and whatever it was waiting for him out there.

xxx

Growling, the chimera looked at her trembling right paw.

_Hand, not paw,_ a voice whispered contritely, but she paid no attention to it, just like she had ignored all the previous interventions. She didn’t like it, this strange inner rebellion that had started more than an hour ago, her body no longer responding to her commands. At first, they were small signs: her foot moving a fraction of second later, making her stumble, then the increasing trembling. And now the annoying male voice in her mind, steadily growing louder.

Her instinct told her that when the other voice would take over, she would be sent back into the darkness, and that was not acceptable.

Even more, her prey was most elusive. She had followed them, the men in black uniforms, and her target, back into the building but had kept her distance, waiting to strike, only to be thrown off when the ceiling and several floors had collapsed right on top of them.

And then she had lost him.

Frustrated, she had let out an angry yowl, when a bullet was shot near her head, shouting soldiers coming to dig out their comrades. With an impressive speed she had jumped from the boulder she had been perched on and disappeared into the darkening halls that remained standing.

And now, hungry and frustrated she was pacing the corridors of the Western Wing when in the silence that surrounded her, the sound of a door loudly hitting a wall on her left direction startled her. And true to her nature, she had to go and investigate.

xxx

Wincing at the loud sound the door had made, Roy moved like an old man, always a hand on the wall to help steady him. Painfully slow, he only took a couple of paces when the fine hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood up.

He was being watched.

Heart picking up speed he turned around, fingers poised to snap, the pain in his limbs almost overpowered by his readiness to fight, but to his dismay, there was nothing there. Narrowing his eye, he searched the hall in the fading light when with the corner of his eye he saw the shadows move.

He didn’t even have time to react when he was slammed from behind; a hot, sharp pain traveled in his arm and torso from where sharp teeth had sunk into his shoulder. With a cry, he rolled on the side as if to dislodge his attacker, but it was no longer there. Roy rose to his knees, poised to attack, when the image of the growling teen, five feet away from him, chilled his blood.

Gleaming eyes and blood dripping from her chin were all his mind could register, when with incredible speed the chimera moved to attack him again just as he reflexively snapped his fingers and shouted at the same time: “Ed, NO!”

The flames surging around him surprised the chimera in mid-jump, deviating her course, and with a snarl she landed in front of him in a crouched position, somewhat dazed.

Not stopping to think, Roy acted before she could further attack. Moving as fast as he could, he bodily launched himself forward, tackling the transformed teen to the floor, his hands trying the catch clawed fingers that were aiming for his eyes while he used his other forearm as the only obstacle between sharp teeth and the vulnerable flesh of his neck.

The struggling body beneath him was unexpectedly strong compared to its rather diminutive size, and Roy was almost thrown away a couple of times before he finally settled into an uncomfortable position that had the only advantage of completely trapping her under him.

“Ed, stop it! Snap out of it!” He tried to dislodge his trapped arm from her bite, but the chimera was rumbling angrily and clamped her jaws tighter, making Roy rather grateful for the heavy cloth they used for military uniforms. It was an uncomfortable draw. The chimera couldn’t move, but neither could he; and the tense position he was in was sapping away all his energy. He knew that sooner rather than later he would slip and then his attacker would have the advantage.

“Edward Elric wake up this instant! That’s an order.” He tried his official tone, but still, there was no recognition in the golden orbs.

_Like somebody who is sleepwalking, or suffering from amnesia,_ Roy noted and then tensed as inspiration struck. The idea was risky and could make things worse, but maybe, just maybe, a powerful shock will be enough to wake up Edward from his state. He refused to believe the young alchemist was completely gone.

Speaking of which, it had been strange for the alchemy proficient teen to rely solely on the physical attack. Roy suspected that controlling the alchemical energy still coursing through Ed’s body on a level he had never sensed before in other alchemists, was something that belonged solely to Edward; the chimera with her animalistic reaction not being capable of the abstract thinking needed. So maybe, if he somehow could make the alchemy inside of Edward react, that could prove to be a shock powerful enough to force the chimera’s mind to relinquish her control over Ed’s body. At least, in theory.

With awkward movements mostly hindered by his position, Roy used the blood dripping down his fingers from the wounds on his left hand to draw a crude array on Ed's shoulder. Something he had learned by accident while searching for more benign uses of his fire alchemy and it could be used to quickly warm up hypothermia victims.

With a whispered, “Forgive me, Fullmetal,” he activated the array without wasting any more precious time.

But he was not prepared for the powerful light that suddenly shone from Ed’s body.


	17. One after the other

Waking up in pain had been his constant in the last three months. But waking up in pain while somebody else was screaming in his head was new. And annoying. And once again his body felt like it was ripped into millions of pieces with only the force of his will keeping him together. And that one voice that kept on screaming.

“Will you just shut up?” Amazingly it listened, the yowling muted to whimpers and Ed sighed, then looked around.

Light and dark played together, with no shades of grey in between, making strange patches of mist all around him. Constantly moving, the mist would sometimes clear, showing fantastical shapes of white rock. But within moments, they would turn to dust and disappear, eaten by something unseen; an ever-changing landscape.

Was that his inner world? All other explanations failed him. But who’s screaming? As if summoned, the mist in front of him parted, and a figure slowly materialized, details revealing, until _she_ appeared.

It should have obvious, but now Ed was too busy staring. And then, “You!”

His entire body shook with the force of his repressed anger. His shout was met with a stare from cold eyes and the lazy flick of a long, beautiful tail. Other than that, she was mostly human, if one would ignore the short tan fur covering her from head to toe.

Ed couldn’t help it, and with a yell, he rushed towards the chimera, only for his outstretched fingers close on thin air. To his left, close enough to taunt him, but just out of his reach, she stood still, and Ed took a step in her direction before his rational side stopped him.

But he still wanted to wring her neck. He just had to find a more subtle way; the frontal attack wasn’t working.

“You want to kill me,” she said, a rumble underlying each word, “but if I die, you die.”

“Maybe, I want to risk it!” he bit out and had the satisfaction of seeing her lose some of her attitude, before her words sunk in. He narrowed his eyes, “if what you said it’s true then you also can’t survive without me.”

She huffed. He smirked.

“Foolish cub! One swipe of my paw and you’re dead.”

“Perhaps,” he said, “but if you could have done that, I’d be dead already. You only sent me deep into my mind. So, what changed?”

“This,” she said and then pointed her clawed hand to his chest, his _masculine_ chest he distractedly noted, where a roughly drawn alchemical symbol was glowing fiercely. As on cue, pain surged through him, and once again he had the feeling that his body was breaking apart.

“Stop it! Do it now!” the yowl made the words almost incomprehensible, but Ed was too caught in his agony to respond.

It hurts, it hurts so much, but there’s something familiar about this pain, his brain was slowly giving him the answers, and suddenly the image of a beautiful and extremely complicated array flashed before his closed eyes.

That time at the experimental center, he remembered now, and with that, he also found his way out.

“I can make it stop.” He barely managed to say through clenched teeth. “But you must give me back the control…”

He didn’t manage to say it all when with a snarled “Never!” She launched at him, claws ready to strike. He barely managed to sidestep her, when she attacked again. He dodged one blow, repelled another, then seizing an opening he kicked her on the stomach, sending her a few paces away from him.

For a moment they stopped, tense and ready to fight when a new wave of agony sent them both to their knees, the chimera more affected than him when she collapsed to the ground and with the last of her energy she just curled up.

“Give…me back the…control.” His sight was dimming, and his slurred words left his lips before he had the change to think about them, “I promise I won’t let you die. I won’t let any of us die.”

And just like that, the pain stopped.

xxx

Walking around for hours was finally taking its toll, but Maes didn’t dare to stop. Not when so many things had gone wrong.

Tracking up Ed, Maes had ignored his new and old instincts, telling him to get away, and had gotten near the Headquarters just in time for a stray bullet to graze his shoulder. He and a few civilians had quickly run for cover, leaving the soldiers at the gate to deal with the attackers. It seemed the soldiers were fighting themselves; blue uniform pitied against another blue uniform, a situation quickly spiraling into chaos when several vicious chimeras entered the fray.

The guards never stood a chance. He’d taken two steps forward, before stopping and going back, each cry for help ignored, feeling like a blow. But his death would have made a difference. With great care, he had retreated into the shadows, going from one dingy alley to another, always on the move, observing and rarely interfering.

He was just observing a fight that had spilled on the street, his hiding spot giving him a vantage point. After a day of fighting the situation was vastly different. The once determined attackers with green bandanas on their arms had broken down into small groups where they were still resisting with desperation, and most of the chimeras were dead, their bodies littering the destroyed street, while the regrouped forces of the loyal soldiers united with and a group of grim faces individuals wearing black were slowly grinding them.

It was the black uniforms that kept Maes in the shadows, their ruthless killing of anyone remotely suspicious, making him realize they would give him no mercy, nor chance to explain. And he was highly suspicious, especially with that grave in the military cemetery that carried his name.

Another body fell to the ground in the crossfire, and the fight was reaching its inevitable end when Maes decided he had seen enough. Senses still focused on the fight ahead he took several steps backward when he felt the cold barrel of a gun at the nape of his neck. Swearing silently, he raised his hands, careful not to make any sudden moves.

“Turn around,” was ordered in a cold voice that Maes recognized with a jolt.

“Hello, Lieutenant.” A slight widening of her eyes was the only reaction to his words; the gun in her hand never wavering.

xxx

What had he done? With his last strength, Roy had jumped away, just as the light started to devour Ed's body, and in horrified fascination, he had stood watching until the brightness had been too much for his tired eyes. It lasted a lifetime, the light burning his eyes even with his closed eyelids, yet he couldn't bring himself to turn away. This was his fault after all.

And then the darkness came, so abrupt it left him blind, and he had to blink a couple of times, tears streaking down his dirty face when he finally started to discern some shapes in between the spots maiming his vision. Like a beacon, Ed's hair attracted his attention, and Roy let out a relieved breath when at first glance nothing seemed to be missing.

And then it hit him: Ed was too still.

No, that couldn’t be right, an icy band squeezed his heart, his stomach twisted into a tight nod, and he was chocking, his suddenly useless lungs barely getting air, as he dragged his battered body on the dirty floor trying to get closer, ignoring the fact that with each move he made, he could see more clearly that Ed wasn’t breathing.

_Edward. Was. Not. Breathing._

“No!” and with a final push, he was at Ed’s side and hurriedly he grabbed the teen by the lapels of his coat and brought his head to the alchemist's chest hoping, praying, for a heartbeat, while his own heart was thundering in his ears so hard it almost made him miss the distinctive thumping sound. 

But Ed still wasn’t breathing.

“Come on brat! Don’t you dare die on me!” with frantic but practiced moves he straightened Ed’s body on his back, tilted the head back, pinched his nose and then placing his lips on those of the alchemist, he pushed air into the unresponsive body. Again and again.

“Breath dammit!” he was getting desperate, his moves more frantic which each passing second, but he didn’t give up. He couldn’t give up, not when there was still a chance.

One more, just one more, Roy was getting dizzy, his chest hurting from the strain when it happened. Ed’s body jerked, and the chest beneath his hand was no longer unresponsive, and then a violent cough racked the teenager, forcing him to turn to the side.

“Easy, there! Take a deep breath…That’s it. Come on Edward,” Roy gently rubbed the younger alchemist on his back, helping him catch his breath. He was too damn happy to care about what he said at that point. And too damn tired.

Bleary golden eyes connected with his own, when Ed turned half-way, and for a moment the Roy had the passing worry that maybe it wasn’t Ed the one looking at him, when a “Bastard, what happened?” said in a hoarse whisper set his mind at ease. He had never been so happy at being called a bastard before.

“Here, Fullmetal. Let me help you get up.” Easier said than done that, as the pains and injuries he had previously ignored in the heat of the moment suddenly made their presence known. All at the same time.

Biting back a groan as he realized he couldn’t even bring himself to stand, never mind walking and helping a visibly battered and weaken Edward. And looking around him, he could see nothing to help him.

What to do? Standing there in the open was not an option he liked, not when he was so defenseless. Maybe he could think of a plan _._

Or maybe not. His eyebrows rose with disbelief when he noticed that the teenager, whom he had thought dead a few moments ago was trying - and succeeding – to get back to his feet. Something along the lines about “the resilience of youth” crossed his mind and he almost said something suitably sarcastic given the situation, but the look on Ed’s face stopped him.

Taking a tense poise, like he expected to spring into action at any given time, the younger alchemist was scanning the hall with worried eyes.

“What is it?” the harsh whisper seemed suddenly too loud in the silent hallway. Not sparing him a glance, Ed gave him an equally tense answer:

“Someone is coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got caught up with RL and didn't realize just how much time has passed between updates. I'm sorry for making you wait.


End file.
